Protective
by BluePhantom15
Summary: He was sick of being treated like a child. Sick of Henri always telling him what to do. He'd show him. No matter what it took, he was going to show Henri that he could stand on his own two feet. So why was he laying in the living room covered in blood?
1. Chapter 1

**BluePhantom15: Well hey, I'm really new to this so I don't exactly know how to make an interesting authors note :S**

**Anyways, hope you enjoy this extremly long chapter, and I hope that you manage to make it to the very end. :D**

**Disclaimer: I own NOTHING! **

It was quiet moment.

One of those moments where you felt at peace with the world.

Where everything seems to stand still for just a split second and there is nothing but you and the silent calls of nature.

It was calming, almost beautiful.

For the first time in what seemed like forever, I was relaxed.

Well, as relaxed as an average mutant alien from another planet could be.

As I stared out unto the grassy fields behind the old and rundown house that I now had to call home, I could feel the breeze touch my bare neck. I knew that I shouldn't get attached to any place for very long. We might have to move any day now. But I couldn't help but admire this new town. I loved it here. I loved the people. I loved the wind as it brushed through the trees on a cloudy day.

I loved the sun as it barley touched the surface of the small pound outside our house, making the water simmer. It felt right. But I knew it couldn't last. I knew sooner or later something was going to happen and I would be forced to move on to yet another isolated area for protection. I hated it. I hated being so venerable. If I was suppose to have all these great powers, then why couldn't I use them to protect myself? To protect the people around me, instead of them always giving up everything for me? I knew I didn't have the answers, but I also knew who did. And I couldn't make him talk.

Henri.

He was my protector. The one person who had to ensure my safety with his life. Yet he would never tell me anything. I am sure he thinks that if I am ignorant he can protect me better, but he's wrong. It's me their after, not him. I have the right to know just as much as he does. I wish that for once he would see me as something more then a fragile piece of glass that could shatter at any moment. I was not a child anymore. If only he would see that. I took a deep breathe.

It was getting dark. Grey clouds began to engulf the sun, as I felt a small drop of water hit my cheek and roll down my face. _Great, just what I needed_, I thought sarcastically. I slowly began to push myself off the soft brown earth. It was beginning to down pour as I forced myself to sprint to the front porch of my newly acquired residence. I opened the door to the house a little rougher then I had indented. I bolted inside shutting the door behind me. Taking off my muddy shoes, I called out into the darkened house.

"Henri! Henri, you there?"

There was no reply. This startled me a little, as I moved deeper into the hallway that lead to Henri's private office, where he kept all his computer equipment. I approached with caution, trying my hardest not to make any noise. Suddenly I heard a loud crash as something heavy collided with the hardwood floor. My whole body stiffened into a battle position, preparing for the worst.

"Shit!"

I allowed myself to relax as I heard Henri cursing from the other side of the dark blue painted wall. I casually walked into the room, doing my best not to show the fear that had been in my eyes just moments ago. "Crash _another _computer?" I asked, smirking. Henri snorted at me then turned back to the laptop that was now laid out on the floor.

"Hey, speak for yourself! If I don't recall, it was _you_ who broke the 45 inch plasma T.V when you were _experimenting _with your fists." He shot back.

I raised both my hands in the air, in a sign of surrender. Henri just smiled at that and began to pick up the shattered glass from the laptop screen. I bent down in an attempt to help, but Henri stopped me short. "I got this. The last thing I need is for you to cut yourself and bleed to death." He said.

I rolled my eyes. This is what I meant, always so overprotective. I paid no heed to his warning and began to pick up the small pieces of glass off the floor. I took them over to the garbage can in the corner of the room and threw them in. "Dang it" I swore under my breath. One of the glass pieces had skimmed the side of my palm as it fell in, causing a gash in my skin. A small tinkle of blood fell from the cut, running down the side of my hand. Henri ran over, immediately at my side.

He made an attempt to grab my hand, but I pulled it out of his reach. "I'm fine" I spat. He frowned, obviously not believing me. "It's just a small scratch", I insisted. He looked at me for a few moments then sighed. He slowly started walking back towards the broken laptop. I let out a sigh of relief, happy that he had actually had listened to me for once.

I let myself relax. That was a mistake. Just when I thought I was in the clear, Henri spun around, jumped forward and gripped my wrist with little effort. I tried to pull away but the grip only tightened. I swore under my brief and then looked up to glare at Henri. He ignored the death message I was sending him, and occupied himself with examining my wound. He twisted my palm slightly to get a better look at the damage.

I hissed, as a sharp pain ran up my arm. Henri was unfazed by my quiet scream of pain, as he ran his index finger along my cut, to measure how long and deep it went. Then without warning he began to drag me across the dark hallway and into the kitchen. He let go of my hand to walk over to the covert and grab the first aid kit that sat on the first shelf. With my brief moments of freedom I attempted to run out of the kitchen. I don't know why I was being so stubborn about not wanting Henri to help me.

I guess I was just sick of him always nursing me like a baby. I wanted to prove to him that I didn't always need his help, and I could do things on my own. If he would only give me a chance, I knew I could prove to him that I could care for my own well being. Just as I was about to step out once again into the dark hallway, Henri took me by the shoulder blade and pulled me back inside the small white kitchen.

"And, where do you think your going?" He asked softly. Without any hesitation he roughly jerked me around to face him, making a grab for my injured hand. He was fast, but I was faster. I swiftly pulled away and moved to the side, so that his hand caught nothing but air. Then in one fluent motion I grabbed the first aid kit out of his left hand, and pulled it to my chest protectively. He raised an eyebrow, questionably. I just shook my head. "I want to do it." I stated. I tried to make myself sound confident with no room for argument like Henri always seemed to be able to do. At first he didn't move, just stood there and stared at me.

It was like he was searching for something in my eyes, to help him confirm something. I took a quiet brief, waiting for him to respond. Instead he just sighed, and ran his fingers through his hair. "Fine, whatever you want." He said plainly.

This time I didn't let my guard down. I didn't take my eyes off him until he had finally left the room. Once he was out of sight, I let a smile touch my lips. _Yes!_, I thought. Finally a victory for number four. I moved to the table in the center of the floor, seating myself down unto one of the wooden chairs. I placed the first aid kit down in front of me and opened it. All I could do was stare blankly at the medical supplies inside. I hadn't the faintest clue what to do next. Henri always cleaned my wounds for me, so I never had to worry about how to use these things.

_Great._ So clueless, I began to remove some supplies from the white box. I read a small package that said disinfectant. I figured that had to be the stuff that cleaned the wound. I carefully undid the package, and took out a wet white cloth. Carefully I pressed it against the wound on my hand. "OWW!" I yelled out. I threw the cloth away from my bleeding hand and held the now burning cut against my chest. I could faintly hear a snickering coming from across the hall. My jaw dropped. Was he _laughing_ at me? I couldn't believe it. Fine then, I'll show him! I began to work hard, trying to the best of my ability to stitch up my cut.

Finally I was finished, and proudly walked into Henri's office showing off my hand. He looked up at me. I couldn't tell what he was thinking. At first there was just silence between the two of us. Then abruptly, Henri began to burst out into laughter. He was now on the floor holding his gut with both hands, trying to stop his giggling fit.

"What!" I demanded, looking at my hand again. On my cut was a bright pink unicorn bandage that I had found in the medical kit. "It was the only one there!" I protested. Even so, Henri kept laughing. I had to wait a while before he had finally calmed down enough to stop laughing and stand up straight. I glared at him, but he simple shook his head and smiled.

"First of all, you have to wash the blood off before using the disinfected. If you don't it will sting you lot more, as you now know. Second of all, that cut is far too big for a cute little unicorn bandage" He grinned at me, I simple rolled my eyes. And I thought he was supposed to be the mature one.

"You need a bigger one. Also, you have to apply pressure to the wound to make it stop bleeding before you do anything else. Now come here, I need to clean off that blood." He made a beckoning gesture with his hand. I shook my head reluctantly. "I can do it" I said truing away, but not before I saw him roll his eyes.

"Yes because we all know how well you did last time." He hissed sarcastically. I made a "humph" sound in his direction, as I walked out into the hallway. I approached the sink in the bathroom beside the kitchen and turned on the water. It was freezing, and I quickly threw my hand back. Before I knew what was happening, Henri was behind me reaching out to hold the handle bar, and turned it to warm.

He then took my hand gently and pushed it under the water. Then with caution, began cleaning the dry blood off my palm. It was soothing, especially when he was so gentle. It barely hurt at all. I knew if I had done it myself, that this would have been a much more painful experience. Then realizing that I was letting him do everything for me again, I swiftly took my hand back and ran out of the bathroom. _Perfect_, I thought, _he probably thinks I'm so pathetic right now, that I can't even clean a cut_. Henri was beside me again, holding out a bandage, this one a lot wider so that it could easily cover my entire cut.

"Thanks" I mumbled and put it on. Then without another word I marched upstairs and fell unto the soft sheets of my bed. Slowly I closed my eyes, listening to the hard patter of rain against the roof. Then before I knew it, I had drifted into a soundless sleep.

I woke up with a loud thump, as I fell face first into the hard wood floor. Cursing silently I pushed myself off the ground and stood up. I was in my peach painted room, standing beside the bed. I could smell the faint scent of breakfast creeping up through the stairwell. I moved quickly and quietly down the stairs to the kitchen. I could hear Henri humming an old tone that he had learned back on our home planet from his wife. It was a graceful melody that was always calming on the ears, and I often enjoyed listening to it.

"Cooking, cleaning wounds, and now humming in the kitchen? You're becoming more of a house wife each day!" I said gleefully, giving Henri an evil smirk. He glared at me then returned to making his ever so delightful smelling pancakes.

"Well this "housewife" is the reason that you get to eat everyday, so I wouldn't get to cocky if I were you" He warned giving me the ever so famous "don't question my manliness" look.

I threw my hands up in an exaggerated gesture, "Fine, fine, whatever you say" I replied not pressing the matter. I knew if I dragged this conversation out anymore that I might end up with no breakfast at all this morning, and I was starving. I sat down at the table, and began to fiddle with the bandage that protected my annoyingly itchy scab.

I was about to peel away the bandage completely when Henri caught my arm, and pushed it aside. "Don't play with it!" He scowled, "You'll only make it worse." I shrugged him off and slumped in my chair, keeping my head down trying to hide my embarrassment.

I could never seem to be able to do anything right. Henri brought me one of his famous pancakes, and I gulped it down greedily. It felt light and fluffy on my tongue. It was like perfection itself. Nothing could compare to Henri's amazing pancakes. I had scarped down three, before I was finally full.

"Are you done now?" Henri asked, raising an eyebrow. I glared at him, but nodded yes. "Good, then let's get down to business shall we?" He took a chair and sat it next to mine so that he was facing me. "Listen I have to run to the store to get some more supplies. I need to get a new laptop, and we need more food, because you eat like a pig." He said. I scoffed.

"I recent that!" I said not bothering to keep the irritation out of my voice.

"Anyway, the nearest shopping center is a few miles out, so it will take me a while. You know the drill. _Stay in_ the house, _keep low_, _always_ have the phone near you and _no _friends over, got it?" He said looking at me expectantly for a response. I nodded.

"Please, what friends? We never stay in one place long enough for me to make any." I spat out. I didn't mean to be so rude, but it was a stupid request.

"I know, I know. It's been hard, but I can't do anything about that. We can't risk the mong's finding you." He sighed. "Okay, I didn't want to freak you out, but I am going to have to tell you anyways. I think they might be onto our trail. Were going to have to move again soon, so be ready to leave at any moment."

I couldn't believe it.

"Are you serious!" I shouted at him, "But we _just _got here!"

"I know, but it's better to be safe then sorry."

There was that stupid saying again. How many times have I heard it before? A thousand, maybe two?

I was so _sick_ of it! All he ever cared about was making sure that I was safely packed away where no one could find me, like a neatly wrapped up present before Christmas. Did he even once consider how this made me feel? My whole life all I have ever known was how to run away from everything, and become something that I am not the instant we got to another place. Constantly becoming new people, with new names, and different backgrounds. I was never once aloud to be just me.

I didn't know what it was like to have a family, and I didn't know what it felt like to have a best friend. All I knew was how to hide and run away the moment there might be danger. And I was tired of it. Why couldn't we stand and fight? If I'm so special I should be able to take them no problem right? Henri certainly didn't think so. I had the powers, so why couldn't I use them? It made no sense. But regardless of my doubt and annoyance I just nodded. Henri smiled, obviously content with my decision.

"I'm not sure how close they are, so you have to be extremely careful. Call me at the first sign of any danger, understood?"

I nodded again.

"Good." He said nodding, but before he left he turned to me again. "Oh, and one more thing, _**don't do anything rash.**_" There was no room for argument in his voice.

I knew what he meant. He meant if I _did_ see danger, he didn't want me to try and handle it on my own. He wanted me to run scared like a little puppy and cry out for him.

I glared, but said nothing. Henri was out the door before I could blink, and I was alone in the old feeble house once more.

It was a boring day. Nothing ever interesting seemed to happen when Henri was away. I watched some T.V, and then sulked up to my bedroom, lying down on the bed. It felt like the day was dragging out far longer then it should have. I stared at the ceiling for what seemed like centuries, and then finally cracked. That was it. I _needed _to get out of here. I leaped off my bed, and sprinted to the front door downstairs. Just when my hand was about to twist the door handle open, I remembered Henri's words.

"_Stay in the house, and keep low." _

I just shook my head. It wasn't like I was going to run to the next town over. I was just getting some fresh air. How bad could that be? Besides it would only take a few minutes... My thoughts dragged on, trying to convince myself that breaking Henri's small rule wouldn't be so bad. I mean what could possibly happen in an hour or two? It's not like I could get myself killed in that amount of time anyways. I nodded my head in a gesture to reassure myself. _Besides, what Henri doesn't know won't hurt him, _I thought. So I casually strolled out into the lush green grass that covered the front yard, and let my feet feel the soft brown dirt of the earth. It was another perfect day. The sun was high in the sky, and all the birds seemed to sing up unto the heavens. I smiled to myself. Yes, I was really going to miss this place. _No, _I thought_, I'm not leaving, not yet. I don't care what Henri says. _I want to spend a few more days here, at least get to know the place better so I could remember it. I don't want to move to another place for a while, and I don't intend to. Henri's just going to have to deal with it. I walked around the front yard for at least a half an hour, and then decided to go off exploring. I ran around the small town, trying to see everything there was to see. I looked at all the shops, and watched the customers go in and out carrying bagfuls of recently purchased items. I moved from sidewalk to sidewalk, and place to place until I finally sat down with exhaustion on a near by bench. I rubbed my eyes, trying to take away the sleep that was attempting to engulf me. Unfortunately it was to no avail. I soon found myself dosing off unintentionally in the worst place imaginable, wide in the open, on a park bench.

I awoke to a small vibration that was tingling my left thigh. I jerked forward, eyes wide, trying to get a hold of my bearings. My left hand immediately shot into my left pocket, and pulled out my phone. I opened it quickly, praying it was not Henri calling. To my delight, it wasn't. I had just gotten a text from the phone company advertising some stupid new device. _Thank God! _I thought.

Looking at the time, I swore under my brief. It was 5:00 pm, and I knew that Henri was going to be back at the house any moment now, if he already wasn't. When he saw that I wasn't there, he would have a heart attack wondering where the hell I was. I sprinted as fast as I could down the long, narrow street trying to keep my pace steady.

I didn't want to arouse too much attention, as I blasted full speed in the direction of my new home. I sighed in relief as I saw there was no car out on the front driveway, meaning that Henri wasn't back yet and I might be able to avoid the yelling.

Just as I was about to run up to the front porch, I spotted something unusual. The lock on the door was opened, and I had sworn I had closed it when I had left. I quickly ducked behind the nearest bush to hide myself from sight. I took a deep brief. _Calm down_, I thought to myself, _Maybe Henri is home after all_. But even as the thought crossed my mind I knew it wasn't true.

If Henri _was _back, then the car would be out front, and the lights would be on. I moved my head slightly up to get a better view of the house, carful not to make any noise. I could hear a faint crash from inside the house. Yep, someone, or some_thing _was definitely in there.

My heart was pounding faster and faster against my chest. What could I do? I should call Henri, and then hide. Wait. No. That would be exactly what Henri would have wanted me to do. Maybe this was my chance! My chance to prove that I could take care of myself, and that I could stand in a fight against these freaks. I was ready for this. This is what I spent my whole life training for right? I could do this. So bundling up all the courage I had, I lifted myself out of the bushes. I slowly approached the rundown house, mentally preparing myself for the worst.

I threw the front door open dashing inside and getting into a defensive position, waiting for whomever it was to come for me. But nothing happened. There was silence in the house, nothing but the sounds of crickets chirping from outside. Something was wrong. I turned my head to both sides as far as humanly possible. Well in this case, as far as Lorien human possible.

I tried to lower the sound of my breathing, straining my ears to hear the smallest of sounds. Listening to anything that would give me a hint to my enemy's location. Then I heard it. A slight movement coming from the kitchen. I silently approached the doorway, focusing hard on my newly awakened powers, praying they wouldn't fail me now. I jumped into action hurling inside the kitchen with as much speed as I could muster. I saw it. The disgusting creature, that Henri had always warned me about. It was there now, standing in the place I usually ate lunch.

It had dark tattoos covering its entire face, and its eyes were as black as a newly painted road. It had scars around its arms and neck and it wore a dark brown clock that fell to its ankles. It had three cuts on either side of its face that looked like gills, and teeth like a shark. It was the most hideous thing that I had ever seen in my life, and I new for a fact that this isn't someone I would have wanted to invite for dinner. I ran at it with all my strength, and hit it square in the rib cage.

It was like slamming into steal. I felt the wind knock right out of me, as I tumbled over with the creature unto the floor. As I tried to push myself up, I could feel the creatures hands wrap around my throat. I began to gasp for air, as I struggled to rip away the hands from my neck. I then jerked my head to the side, confusing the creature long enough to deliver it a punch to the face.

It retreated backwards protectively holding the cheek I had just hit. I took this opportunity to use my telekinesis and lift him into the air. Struggling as first to lift him, I staggered making the creature sway up and down violently. I then jerked it to the side, and slammed it into the kitchen counter. It cried out in pain as it made impact with the hard cold marble. _Yes!_ I thought. _I was doing it! I was actually winning! I knew I could. Henri was worried for nothing._ I instantly grabbed hold of a knife I had found on the table and charged at the mong with little hesitation.

What I expected to happen, was for me to run the damned thing through with the knife. What I wasn't expecting, was for it to evade my attack and strike me in the head. I cried out in a sneer of pain, as I felt blood pouring down the right side of my face. The mong had me by the throat again, slowly trying to choke me to death. I twisted and turned with all my might, but it didn't seem to do me any good. I was losing air supply and fast.

I gasped, trying to suck in as much air as was possible in my situation, continuing to struggle against the mong's iron tight grip. My hands seemed to find there way to the creatures face, trying to injure it with what little strength I had left. I was slowly losing conciseness, with the lack of oxygen that was getting to my brain.

My eyelids slowly began to drop down, and my hands lost the strength to keep hold on the mong's face, so they drifted down to either side of me. I was going to die. I couldn't believe it. After all that, after all I had been through I was going to die in an old beaten up place like this. There was still so much I wanted to see, still so much I wanted to do. Still so much I wanted to say, and now I would never be able to. _No._ I couldn't let it end like this.

My eyes shot open, and I immediately jerked my hands upright and smashed them into the creatures gut. He flew backwards in shock. I didn't hesitate, I grabbed the knife that lay on the floor, and drove it through the creature's chest. I watched as the light slowly left its eyes, and it became motionless in my hands. It then dropped to the floor, eyes open, and blood streaming from its open wound. I had done it. I had killed my first mong! I let a smile engulf my lips. Wait tell Henri saw this.

_Oh shit!_ Henri! I had completely forgotten! He would be here any minute. How in the world was I going to explain all this? If he asked too many questions he would eventually figure out that I had gone outside and disobeyed his direct orders. I was so in trouble now. I searched my brain trying to come up with some kind of logical explanation. But there was nothing that came to mind. So in the end I just decided to wait there. Wait for Henri to come back and give me a lecture. It wouldn't have been the first time anyway. So I simple slumped onto the couch, exhausted from my battle with the black eyed freak. I sat there for an hour or so just staring at the ceiling. It was not long after that when I heard the door creak open.

"Holy crap! What the hell happened here?"

Well now I knew one thing for certain. Henri was home.

**BluePhantom15: Well I hoped you enjoyed ^_^. Sorry if you found any mistakes while reading. **

**I'll continue if you guys like it. **

**Well reviews are always ****appreciated! : )**


	2. Chapter 2

**BluePhantom15: Hey there again guys! Did you miss me? LOL, Nah, didn't think so : P**

**Sorry for the long wait, but I actually have a valid excuse! I sprained two of my finger, and couldn't type properly for two weeks! D : **

**Well, here is the next chapter. Hope you enjoy! ^_^, and if you don't, well I can always send my mogs after you :D (jk) **

**Disclaimer: I own NOTHING! If I did, Henri (SPOILER) wouldn't have died! (grrrr, smashes mog minion into door repeatedly) **

Henri stormed into the room. He looked furious, and that was not a good thing for me. I just pray I would be able to keep my head. I gazed up at him nervously, a small bead of sweat dropped down my forehead.

"Hey," I said meekly.

He stared at me in disbelief.

"Hey? That's it? No crazy long range excuses? Have you seen the kitchen!" He yelled. I found myself wincing at that.

"What. Happened. Here.?" He demanded.

"Well, there was an incident.." I trailed off, not knowing how to explain the events that had occurred, without him locking me in a box for the rest of my life. I needed to think up an excuse and fast, because time was running out and Henri's patience was just about to blow sky high.

"I umm... I ahh..." Dang it! I couldn't think of anything. My brain was racing so fast I couldn't register any good thoughts. That was it, I was sunk.

Henri just stared, obviously waiting to hear my made up story. But I just couldn't think of anything. What was wrong with me? Majority of the time I was able to lie through my teeth. It was usually so easy for me. I had to do it all my life, so it has become like a sixth sense. So why all of a sudden now was I getting all cramped up? Sure Henri was intimidating at times, but it wasn't like I couldn't lie to him. I had done it a thousand times before. Mostly every time I broke something. But he usually always found out I was lying. It wasn't that hard, considering it was only the two of us, and no one else could have possibly done it.

"Well you see, there was this stray cat, and it was all alone so I brought it in the house and..." Man this was a bad excuse even for me. There was no way he would buy that. No stray cat could have done this much damage no matter how hungry or upset it was.

"Oh, so that explains why their is purple blood everywhere, and a giant mogs corpse on the floor." He said blankly.

Crap! I had completely forgotten that the mogs body was still in the kitchen! Well that did it. There was no escaping Henri's wrath now, and here I was getting my hopes up.

"I can not believe that you were so oblivious that you let a mog sneak into the house! What I can't believe even more is that you didn't call me for help right away!"

Dang, his voice was getting louder and louder, as his face started to grow an inhumanly shade of red. I didn't know what to say. What could I say? I would just have to ride it out.

"All those times I told you to keep a low profile! All those times I told you be cautious! Were those all wasted lectures? Tell me what I have to do to get through to you!" Henri asked, trying to keep himself as calm as he possibly could.

"Go pack your stuff," He said with a monotone voice, "We're leaving."

"Why?" I whispered, "I didn't get hurt. I can protect myself, I proved it by killing that mog without you. So, why?"

I waited.

Waited for him to reply.

Looking deeply into his eyes I could see something there. What was it? Disappointment? Remorse?

I couldn't even tell anymore.

"You may have gotten lucky this time but next time you might not be as lucky. I'm not taking that risk. Besides thanks to your brilliant action plan, the mongs probably already know our location. Now go, we're leaving."

With that he turned around and went back into the kitchen.

Something was boiling up inside of me. I don't know exactly what I felt. I think it was just a bunch of explosive emotions at once. Hate, rejection, sadness, it all seemed to come together in one giant outbreak. I couldn't take it anymore. No I wouldn't be dragged to another God forsaken town. I was done with all this running away crap.

"Yeah well you can go on ahead without me!" I yelled into the kitchen. I started to walk towards the front door to the house, making loud banging noises on the hardwood floor as I went. I was about to reach for the knob, when I felt a hand grab my wrist.

"John, this is no time for you to pull a tantrum. We need to leave now, hurry up!" Henri's voice spoke from behind me, and I felt myself being jerked roughly backwards by the wrist.

I used all my body power and jerked forward, hearing a slight cry of surprise from Henri. I then yanked my wrist from Henri's grasp and turned sharply around, almost cutting myself off balance.

Henri was watching me carefully at this point, no doubtfully making sure that I didn't pull anything rash. He slowly rose his arms up in the air in front of him, and preceded backwards a few steps, until he was at a safe distance.

"Look, I'm sure your tired after going through a life or death match with that mog, but we really need to get out of here before backup comes charging in here for our throats. If you want I'll pack your stuff, and you can take a nap in the car okay?" He said slowly.

"You don't get it do you? I don't want to go! I don't want to always be the one running away! All these years I've been running away from the mongs because I'm suppose to stay alive to protect a planet I've never even seen! Well screw that, because I don't care anymore!" I screamed, not knowing what had come over me.

"Hey! Show some respect! A lot of people died to save you! In fact the entire planet did! Does that mean nothing to you? Your going to make the deaths of thousands in vein just because you were to lazy to move every so often?"

"Every so often? We practically move every damn week!" I shouted at him, ignoring his glares. "I never get a say in what we do or where we go! This is MY life, and I should be able to live it the way I want to!"

"Well I'm sorry I haven't spoiled you enough my dear prince." Henri spat at me, "Next time I'll be sure to get us a nice big pink palace where we can live, and horses to ride off into the sunset every evening. I'll even build a nice moat around the palace. Maybe that will guard us against the mogs! And if not we can always call the royal guard!" Henri took a deep breath, exasperated from the speech he had just given.

That was it! The last string of clam had snapped like a twig. I was sick of hearing this guy talk. So I blew him away.

Literally.

I giant burst of pure blue energy blasted from my body, and hit Henri straight on. He flew backwards and a gigantic 'THUD' could be heard as his body smashed into the wall. He fell limply to the floor, his head hanging down, and his arms dangling from his sides.

"Henri! I'm so sorry, are you alrigh—"I cut myself off. Why was I apologizing? He had gotten what he deserved. It was his own fault for saying what he said. I was sick of him always thinking I would follow along with whatever he wanted. Well not anymore. Starting from here on out, I make my own decisions.

I checked to make sure Henri wasn't bleeding anywhere. Luckily, he was just in a state of shock. Once confirming he needed no medical attention, I headed towards the door. This time I was pretty sure no one was going to stop me.

I didn't know where I was going to go once I was out, all I knew was that I needed to get away.

Without further hesitation, I took the door knob, and swung it open. I was greeted with nothing but darkness, and a cool breeze. But that was fine by me. The more people that couldn't see me, the better. I took a step outside, and unto the creaky front porch. I could hear a slight stirring from behind me. Oh no, Henri was waking up! I had to get out of here!

I quickly ran out, and embraced the night sky, going as fast as my legs could carry me- and that was pretty fast.

The last thing I heard was a muffled voice shouting at me to stop, and a car engine booming to life, as I sped of into the night.

**BluePhantom15: So what did you think? Sorry that it's not as long as the last chapter. Also, sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes you may have found. **

**If you guys like, I'll continue. **

**Please review! I need cookies -I mean love!, but mostly COOKIES! (Eyes light up in fiery passion) **

**But ****SERIOUSLY****, ignore my randomness and review! - **

**Me: I need more reviews dang it! (Bangs another mog into the wall repeatedly) **

**Mog: Why do you keep taking it out on us, you insignificant human! **

**Me: Shut it slave! (Hits mong in the face with baseball bat)**

**Mog: Why do we even work for this crazy woman!**

**Me: (Laughing in the back evilly) **

**~Yeah that's right, I figured out how to do an authors note XD**

**P.S: If your not getting enough of the family fluff stuff between Number 4 and Henri, that will come in later chapters.(probably) **


	3. Chapter 3

**BluePhantom15**: Hey everyone! I'm soooo sorry for the terribly long wait. I hope you will all forgive me for being such a jerk. It's just I've been really busy with family this past month, and well you get it.

Anyways on to what actually matters!

Thanks so much to: **JessLover8705, jgmva, Mayakiba, Nicky1992, Savannah Roux and calynn jiana** for reviewing! I'm really glad you like the story so far. You guys are so nice, and I really appreciate your reviews. They really brighten up my day! ^_^

**BluePhantom15:** Sorry for any grammar/spelling errors you may find.

Hope you all enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** Sue the Mog, not me, cause I own nothing.

Move! I shouted at myself, as I ran down the long narrow street. It was so dark I was tempted to use my powers to light up my hands, but I knew that would only draw unwanted attention. I kept moving forward, praying I wouldn't run into anything. At the speed I was going, if I did, it would hurt - badly. I tired my best to make out different buildings as I moved along, in an attempt to get a sense of where I was going. Everything seemed so different at night. It all looked like one giant blob of nothing. Even as I the passed street lights, they barely gave me enough light to make out many things.

Still, I had to keep going. That was only thing that was blazing through my head at the moment. Henri could already be trailing me, and I needed to get to someplace hidden before he could spot me.

Man, he was going to kill me! I was so dead.

What the hell had I been thinking? I just blew my frickin protector into a wall for goodness sake! What did I think that was going to accomplish! I didn't even know where I was going! But it was no time to hit myself in the head now. I had to get off the road, if I had any chance of avoiding Henri's wrath. Looking left and right frantically, I finally spotted an opening through an ally that seemed to lead out of town. Just in time to, as I could distantly hear the sounds of a car's engine move along the black paved road. Forcing my exhausted legs to turn, I dove into the narrowed opening, and ran out into what _seemed_ like a small forest. I immediately could smell the scent of pine, as I sprinted through the dark green needles of the trees. They scratched against my bare skin, but I paid them no heed, focusing only on getting as far away from the town as possible.

It was so bloody dark, that I found myself barley being able to avoid crashing into the tree stumps that stood right in front of my eyes. Several times, I hit my head on the long branches, regretting not bringing a helmet of some sort.

Then it hit me. Shoot! Of course, my bike! Why the heck hadn't thought of that before? Being on my bike would have made this escaping thing so much easier.

Then I remembered that I didn't have a helmet anyway. Henri never bothered to get me one. I found myself chuckle at that. Henri was so obsessed with trying to keep me safe, but not once had he considered buying me the simplest of safety gear. I guess he was too preoccupied at the thought of me being stabbed by mog's to consider the fact I could crack my head open over the two wheeled vehicle.

The forest only seemed to get damper as I went further in, but finally I spotted an opening. It was small, but at this point I couldn't complain. I moved towards it, in hopes that there would be another near by road to follow. As I got closer, I could see that the clearing was quite large. Smiling, I sped up my pace. A clearing that big could no doubt be some sort of pathway. Careful not to slam into any trees, I cautiously slid through the tight space between the closely packed trees.

_Odd_, I thought, _when I was running, the trees weren't this __**close **__together._

In fact they were quite scattered. Why would they grow so closely together here? Ignoring my suspicion, I made it through the opening. What I saw disturbed me to say the least.

Much to my dismay, all I found was a peculiar barren place in the middle of the forest. As I looked around, I noticed that the area had nothing in it. No trees, no bushes, no twigs or even leaves. Just dirt.

It looked like it had been cleared out by someone. But why would someone clean up an area right in the middle of a forest, and of this capacity no less? Were they planning to build something here? Looking around I could see that this was not where the forest ended. In fact it looked like it still went on for a couple more miles. The barren area was a perfect oval shape. The trees seemed to make a borderline right around it, making its shape even more apparent. It made no sense. What was even weirder was the fact that the ground seemed to be perfectly flat. As I walked across it, it felt the most inhumanly smooth, not even a small rock coming in contact with my shoes.

Someone definitely maintained this place daily. Only now did I seem to notice how deadly quiet it was. All I could hear in the darkened night was the small cry of the breeze as it moved across my bare neck. It was uncomfortable, almost down right eerie. For the first time in my life, I felt utterly alone. And it frightened me. Usually Henri would be here by now, comforting me, telling me everything was going to be alright like he always had when I was a child. But now I was alone.

Not being able top stand the blackness any longer, I lit up my hands. The blue light emanated everywhere, giving me a feeling of warmth for the first time tonight. I slowly approached the other side of the large area. A guest of wind cut me off as I was about to try and squeeze myself through the trees. Covering my eyes, I ducked down quickly, getting on my knees. The air was cold, and I was starting to feel the effects of my long adventures into the freezing night. Getting back up again, I dusted myself off, hoping the wind would call itself off of a while longer. Without realizing what I was doing, I walked right into the tree that stood before me. Making contact with it, I doubled over in pain, holding my chest.

_Good one number four! _I thought bitterly. I looked up at the tree that had just knocked me over. I don't know why, but I stuck my tongue out at it in irritation. Suddenly, I spotted something out of place. Within the trees braches I could faintly see... pink? What on earth?

I moved to the tree so I was inches away from it, cranking my neck to look up at its leaves.

There! Yes there was something definitely sticking out. I put my arms around the trunk, placing my feet near its base. Then I jumped up... only to fall right down.

Holding my head in pain, I sneered through my teeth. Truth was I never learned how to climb a tree. Henri would never let me when I was a kid.

"It's too dangerous. You could get badly hurt." Is what he would always say. Same old Henri.

Sighing, I got to my feet. Getting an idea, I readied my fists.

Hey, I never said it was a good idea.

But I was supposed to have superhuman strength wasn't I? Well maybe not, but I was about to find out anyway. Taking a deep breath I plugged at the tree with my closed hand, putting as much force into it as I possible could. To my shock the impact didn't hurt all that bad. In fact I only barely gazed my knuckles.

However, my ears did take a toll. The sound of breaking bark rattled through the night air, much louder then I thought was possible. The tree staggered in its place, its branches moving about wildly. Somehow through the loud noise I was also able to hear a small thud come from beside the tree.

_Bingo._

Shacking out my hand to loosen it, I moved towards the fallen object.

I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting. But I know for a fact it wasn't what I saw.

A small pink stuffed animal in the shape of a rabbit now lay in my dirty hands. Its eyes were pure black, and it was filthy beyond all belief. Some of its stuffing was coming out of its side, and its right ear was ripped slightly at the top. It hung loosely in my palm, staring up at me as if it knew something I didn't.

Its blackened small eyes gave me a sad feeling. I don't know why, but I felt a bust of guilt rip through my gut. It was like looking at a broken, helpless being that had given up on everything. It looked like it would cry if only it had tears of its own to shed. This little stuffed animal looked at me, like it was pleading for something. Escape maybe? I knew how it felt.

"John! John are you there?"

My heart stopped.

Henri.

Crap.

Before I knew it, I could see the light of a flashlight sink through the thick trees, heading towards me.

Panicking, I began to move around in circles, pacing back and forth, looking around frantically once more.

"John! Is that you?"

Damn it, he had heard me. I needed to find a way out of here without causing too much noise, and making it obvious where I was going. But how? These trees were so closely packed that only a squirrel could get through. And it wasn't like I could go back the way I came, because Henri was coming from that direction. This place was so bare that he would spot me in seconds, and there was no place to hide because the bushes surrounding the area were all too small to cover my entire figure.

I was trapped, and the light was getting closer by the second.

I threw my hand to my head in frustration, only to meet something soft. Remembering that I was still holding the pink rabbit, I looked around for someplace to put it. If Henri was going to find me, it would definitely not be with me holding a pink stuffed animal.

Just when I was about to throw it in a near by bush I stopped myself. For some reason I didn't want to part with it. I felt my heart twitch ever so slightly in my chest. Bringing it down to visible level, I looked deep into its eyes again. There was something so familiar about it that I just couldn't put my finger on. Something that made me feel regret. But why?

"John."

My head bolted upwards, my eyes meeting those of chestnut brown.

His face was covered in dirt, no doubt trialing after me all night. His clothes were crumpled and deformed making him look like some sort of street thug. I noticed that his pants were ripped near the bottom, and a faint colour of red sprained the fabric around it. He looked absolutely exhausted. And it was all because of me.

"Henri, I-" I stopped, cutting myself off. Not knowing what to say. Might as well just let him yell at me. It would save me the trouble of trying to explain.

But that's not what happened.

Instead, Henri marched right up to me, looked me straight in the eye, and then hugged me.

My eyes widened in shock at the sudden embrace. Why was he hugging me? After all I did?

"John, I- I was so worried I- don't know what I would do if- I'm so glad your safe." He gasped, tightening his arms around me.

He was warm, and it felt nice against my cold skin. It was a calming, relaxing, embrace. I had always felt safer in his arms when I was a kid. I guess thinking about it now, I still did. I closed my eyes, trying to savoir the moment.

No. This wasn't right. I didn't deserve this. I tried to push away from the man, only to find that I couldn't. He kept a firm grip on my shoulders, keeping me close. I tried to struggle some more, doing my best to move away, but to no avail. He just kept bringing me closer.

I gave in, allowing myself to bury my head in his shoulders. I felt a hot liquid run down my cheek. No, could I be crying? At a time like this? Man, I was such a pathetic kid!

Henri seemed to disagree, as I felt one of his hands rub my back in a comforting gesture.

"Shuuush, its okay, everything's fine now." He whispered in my ear, his warm brief hitting the side of my head.

I whipped the tears away from my eyes, determined to be stronger than this. Henri moved away from the embrace now holding me at arms length.

"What the hell do you think you were doing? Running off like that into the middle of nowhere! Do you know how scared I was, when I couldn't find you!" He said, making his grip uncomfortably tighter on my shoulders.

"I-"

"Never, and I mean NEVER, pull a stunt like that again! Something could have happened to you! What if I hadn't found you earlier huh? What if I was too late and all I found was a bloody corpse? I couldn't- I wouldn't be able to bear that..." He whispered, looking down.

I could feel the absolute fright emanating from Henri. He had been truly scared out of his mind for my health. He truly cared about me, more then I could possibly imagine. He had done so much for me, and all I ever did was push him away.

"I- your bleeding Henri." I said dumfounded. It was the only thing I was able to say at that moment.

Confusion spread across Henri's face. Then he glanced down at his leg. Shaking his head, he looked up towards me again.

"That doesn't matter. What matters right now is getting you someplace safe, and cleaned up. You're the priority right now, so don't worry about me." He said calmly.

"But-" I started.

"No buts! We are getting out of here now, no more of your excuses. Thanks to you, I've been up all night chasing your shadow! When we get back, I'm not letting you out of my sight got it? And- what is that?" Henri said abruptly, pointing down at one of my hands.

Glancing down, I saw the pink rabbit, still clenched in my hands. I quickly tucked it behind my back, not wanting him to see.

"Nothing." I said trying to back away.

Henri let go of my shoulders, taking a step forward.

"Let me see. " He said strictly, stretching out his hand expectantly.

"I told you it's nothing" I muttered, backing away further.

Before I could even blink Henri was behind me. Dang- how did he get so fast! Before I had time to turn around, he grabbed the rabbit out of my hand.

Smirking at his victory, he held it up.

Suddenly his eyes widened dramatically.

"What? What is it?" I asked.

"This is- it can't be." He whispered.

"What?" I asked again, curious.

Henri suddenly had the stuffed animal in both hands, turning it and twisting it around.

"What are you doing now?" I said slightly louder, making sure he could hear me.

"Searching for a name tag." He replied, continuing with his investigation.

"What? Why? That thing looks like its been here forever, I don't think whoever owns it will be needing it back."

There was no answer, just a loud gasp.

Eyes widening further, Henri almost seemed like he was going to drop it.

"I can't believe it..." He breathed.

"What? For goodness sake, just tell me already!" I said getting irritated. "What's so unbelievable?"

Henri turned the stuff animal in my direction, bending it over so its head was facing me. Then slowly he pulled back its left ear. There stitched into the fabric was a small set of writing. I read it, my mind going blank.

"Property of Number 4" was etched into the pink fur.

"What? How-" I stumbled.

"That's what I'd like to know." He said

"How did you know to look for the name tag?" I questioned him, raising an eyebrow.

"I remember giving something very similar to this, right before we left Lorien, as a parting gift. But you lost it in the crash." He replied, seriously as if this meant something of the utmost importance.

My head swirled, trying to get a hold of what he was saying. Something bugged me, bringing a question to the very front of my mind.

"Then what's it doing here?" I whispered, trying to keep my voice calm.

"Exactly," Henri said looking around, taking in our surroundings for the first time.

"I can't believe I didn't notice it before. I knew this place felt familiar." Henri said finally, his voice a little shaky. I could see his hands vibrate slightly, showing his sudden discomfort.

"What? What is this place?" I ask, this time my voice wavering slightly as well.

Henri paused, like he was debating whether or not to tell me. Shaking his head, he opened his mouth to reply.

"Look around John. A giant barren place in the middle of a forest perfectly shaped as if something landed here. And you're old wreaked rabbit, just happens to be in a tree near by. We're in the place where this whole thing started." He paused. "We're standing on the same ground we did all those years ago. This is where our ship crashed. This is where we all stepped on earth for the first time."

My eyes felt like they were going to burst out of my sockets, and my knees felt like they were going to cave in. This was the place we crashed?

"Wait a minute, if this is the place we crashed then shouldn't there be all these wreaked trees, and scattered spaceship debris?" I asked, my voice cracking.

"That's what I was thinking. Someone has been here, cleaning up." He spat.

"Which begs the question... Who?" I said, catching my brief.

Suddenly, a sickening inhuman sound rang across the forest. It was an ear splitting, horrific sound.

A battle cry.

"I think I know." Henri said, hearing the sudden panic in his own voice. "And it starts with a Mog."

Well, shit. Looks like it really was going to be a long night.

**BluePhantom15:** Please review, I need feedback! I'll give you all Henri plushies!

**Mog:** Bribery will get you no where.

**BluePhantom15:** Oh shut it, you're just mad that I didn't make you the plushie, because you're too ugly!

**Mog:** I recent that!

**BluePhantom15:** And I recent you.

Please review! ^_^

P.S: I know this was kind of a slow chapter, but I needed it to get some info across. If you're not getting enough Henri and Number Four fluff, there will be more in later chapters, hopefully.

Till then,

BluePhantom15


	4. Chapter 4

**BluePhantom15:** Hey everyone, I'm back. Please don't kill me. (Hides from pitch forks and knifes)

Hope you all enjoy this chapter. I apologize in advance for any grammar/spelling mistakes you may find.

A humungous thank you to **NotanAccountAnymore, Tenicant5340, calynn jiana, AlexandreaLily107** and **Allison Wolfe** for reviewing! You guys rock my world. Now unto chapter four.

**Disclaimer: I own the pink bunny. That's about it. **

"Move!" I could Henri yell from behind me, and I briefly felt someone pushing me forward.

"I was under the impression that, that was what I was doing!" I said back, taking breaths in between. It has been awhile since I've had to run this fast.

"Yeah well you're not being quick enough." Henri said.

"Yeah, cause I'm only going at a hundred miles per hour!" I spat.

"Hey, if a human car can still catch up with you, then you're not going fast enough." He stated bluntly.

Instead of arguing I just decided to go along with it. I was sick of tying to win a fight with this guy. In the background I could hear the sounds of the mogs ravaging every tree in the distance, searching for their prey. I guess that was me. Maybe I should be a little worried about that. Oh well.

"Hey I think we should go a little faster." I called.

Even though I couldn't see his face, I could feel Henri roll his eyes. It made me smirk slightly despite the situation.

"Thank for your words of wisdom, o great one." Henri said, with little enthusiasm in his voice.

"You're welcome"

Suddenly I felt a cold sense of dread crawl up my spin. Something was right on our trail, and this time I was pretty sure it wasn't the pizza delivery boy. Trust me, sometimes I get them confused. Well I guess that was the perk of having a guardian who hates cooking dinner.

"Did you feel that?" Henri questioned, coming up beside me.

"Yeah, and my 'feeling' is telling us to get the hell out of here."

Quickening our pace, we sprinted as fast as we could for any possible opening in the forest we could find. Man, I couldn't believe how densely packed these trees were. It was like they purposely had grown close together just to piss me off. Sometimes I felt like nature hated me. But then again, I was pretty sure there were a lot of other things out there that hated me too. For example, one of those things was trying to kill me right now.

My feet were starting to hurt, and I felt the muscles at the back of my legs burn. So much for being a super human, I couldn't even seem to do cross _forest_. Pun intended.

"Don't slow down!" Henri huffed, seeming tired himself.

Geez, how long had we been running? It felt like forever. All these trees looked the same; I wouldn't be surprised if I found out we were running in circles. But there was no time to worry about directions now. All I knew was that there was an army of angry mogs behind us, and I wanted to get _away_ from them, and that was good enough for me.

I could feel sweat trail down my forehead, as I kept pace with Henri. I just had to pray that he knew what he was doing. However, the chances of that was about one-twelfth so I wasn't getting my hopes up.

Then, I heard something land behind us with a soft thud. A quiet ticking suddenly caught my attention, and I knew right away that we were screwed.

"Get down!" Henri screamed, grabbing me by the shoulder and throwing me to the dirt.

An explosion rang out into the night sky, lighting up the trees like Christmas lights. I felt blazing heat scorch my body as the shock wave hit us hard. I could taste the ash of burning leaves in my mouth, as I spit out the dirt, and rubbed the dust from my eyes. I heard coughing from beside me, and whipped my head sideways to look at Henri. He, like I was covered in dust and black dirt.

"You okay?" I asked, trying to help him to his feet.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I should be the one asking you that question." He replied, trying to brush the soot off his pants.

"Hey, don't worry about me. I'm used to camping out in the woods at night, and being attacked by grenades. It was all in the survival handbook. Didn't you pay attention during the Boy Scout lectures? And here I thought you loved that kind of stuff."

"Ha, ha, very amusing. Are you done?" He scoffed.

"Yes." I grinned. I don't know why but even in these situations I could still make fun of Henri. Maybe I was mentally unstable, or maybe I just really liked teasing Henri. Either one was a sensible conclusion.

"Good, then let's get going. I hate to admit it but those mogs seem to be getting more efficient each day. Grenades, who would've thought. Next thing you know they'll be riding tanks." He sighed.

"Hey, don't jinx's it." I warned, starting to jog again.

Henri followed suit, heading off into the green leaves of death once more. I was really starting to feel the pain from that explosion now, as my whole body ached with protest as I continued to move. My back felt like it was bent out of place, and fingers felt like there were about to fall off. Not to mention my legs felt as if they had been run over by a delivery truck. But hey, I guess this was just another day in the life of the numbers.

"We won't last long at this rate. We don't know the layout of this area, and they probably know it like the back of their hand. We need to find some sort of place to hide and loose them. It is way too dark to try and find a way back." He stated seriously. "We should look for a small opening, or any sort of rock formations. Like a cave of some sorts. Keep you eyes peeled for anything that looks remotely sensible."

I actually felt myself breathe a sigh of relief. Good old Henri, already coming up with a plan in that twisted mind of his. I never truly understood how it worked, but somehow not knowing always made him seem more interesting. It gave him that unpredictable aura. You never knew what he was going to do next. I guess it made me respect him a little. But just a little. I wouldn't want it to go to his head.

I could hear another explosion ring out a distance behind us, and it made my legs move faster. Gosh, did those freaks ever give up?

Another explosion. Guess not. One could only hope though.

"Uhh, Henri?" I squeaked.

"I know!" He spat, his eyes searching desperately through the trees. Man, I had never seen Henri so agitated before. I guess the situation was finally getting to him. I was just surprised that it wasn't getting more to me.

Then I detected a faint noise coming from the trees beside us. Wait, was that _hissing?_

Crap.

No it was more like one of those "Oh shit!" moments.

"Henri! I think we have a problem!" I shouted.

"Get away from there!" He yelled, grabbing me by the wrist.

He didn't have to tell me twice. If I was right about what was behind those trees, then we were pretty much dead. Again.

And sure enough, a big fat, ugly, mog emerged from the green leaves. His neck was so bulky I was surprised his body could even support it. He was about seven foot, with completely black skin that was almost impossible to see in contrast with the dark sky. His arms were about the size of me, (width wise) and his legs the size of Henri. I was pretty sure that if an ogre and a Cyclopes had a child, stuck him in a room with the muffin man, and then let him bath in the gulf of Mexico oil spill, that this dude would be the result.

Despite how hideous he was, I was positive he could pack a mean right hook. Which was exactly why I was currently hiding behind Henri.

"Stay down" Henri whispered, backing up slightly, causing me to move backwards as well.

Then, just like that it came charging at us. No warning, no "I'm going to attack you now."

Just when it swung its meaty arm, we ducked just barley avoiding the fleshy tar like skin. Henri swiftly rebounded, spinning his body so that his leg lashed out at the mogs knees. It barely seemed to scratch the creature. Henri then moved to the side, punching the thing at the side of its face, causing it to shake its head in confusion. Hesitating for a moment the mog didn't move, giving me the chance to charge in and soccer kick it in the thigh. That caused it to stumble back, but only by a couple of inches. Dang, this thing had good balance.

I was just about to go and kick it again, when a hand grabbed the back of my shirt, pulling me towards it.

"Hey!" I protested. "What was that for?"

"Don't try and play the hero now, get back." Henri hissed. "You're going to get yourself killed."

"Yeah, because you were doing such a better job" I growled, annoyed.

"This is no time to be concerned with your ego, now do as I say and get behind me." Henri said, pulling me further towards him. Before I knew it I was staring at his back.

Henri, moved towards the beast in his normal fighting position. I continued to watch as he jumped, dodged, and punched the mog, still creating little to no damage against it. And it just seemed to be coming back stronger each time.

Dammit. There had to be _something_ we could do. If this continued, back up would arrive and then we really would be in our graves. Come on think. _Think!_

Got it.

In a rush of adrenaline, I dashed out towards the mog, but instead of going after it, I leaped behind it and headed in the opposite direction.

"Where are you going?" Henri shouted.

"Don't worry I'll be right back!" I called.

"Are you insane? Get back here _now!_"

However it was already too late. I was too far to head back now. Besides Henri couldn't stop me because he had to deal with the mog. I would just settle for being yelled at later.

Quickly finding the area of the explosion, I frantically looked around. There had to be one somewhere. Then I spotted what I was searching for.

Perfect.

Walking up to a near by burnt tree, I bent down, grunting as I attempted to lift the giant broken tree branch. Once I managed to pick it up I quickly headed back to where Henri and the mog were battling it out. I looked down at the thick branch and smiled. This should do the trick.

Suddenly I began to realize hoe dark it really was. Shoot. The densely packed trees weren't helping either. Desperately I looked around, as I tried to retrace my foot steps. Why now of all times did I have to get lost! Henri needed me. It was finally my turn to save him, and I couldn't even figure out my way through some trees. _Calm down_, I thought to myself. I found my way here I can find my way back.

"_Remember, when you feel at your most venerable trust your instincts. They will show you the way." _

I remember Henri telling me that over and over again whenever we trained. To be honest I thought he just got that from watching way too many superhero films.

Well if superman could do it then I could too. I mean, come on, I _had_ to be cooler then a guy in tights right?

I closed my eyes and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

That was the last time I took advice from a guy who wears a cape while flying next to an airplane turbine.

Sighing, I listened for Henri's voice. If I could hear him, then I could locate where he was. If there was one thing I could recognize more then anything else, it would be Henri's voice. I hated to admit it, but it was true. I had been with him for longer then I could backtrack, and it was the one thing that I felt was really real in my life. When you have spouted as many lies as I have, you sometimes forget what the truth is. Henri's voice to me was the only thing that I knew would always be there. There was no lie in that.

I concentrated, straining my eyes to find Henri's voice. Then I heard it.

"Get back mog! Why don't you stay at home until scientists can find a cure for ugly?"

I smiled. That was Henri. I'm surprised he could yell that loudly. I guess he had practice with all those years of yelling at me. I sped off in his direction, hoping that his next victim wouldn't be me.

Once they were in sight, I quickly singled Henri to shut up as I approached the mog, pointing at the enormous branch. Quickly grasping the idea, Henri bounced around the ugly creature, distracting it, averting its attention far away from me. The good thing about mogs, was most of them weren't too bright. And that they had the memory of a fish.

Coming up close behind it, I gagged slightly as I smelt its breath. Man, hadn't these things ever heard of a breath mint? Then taking the branch I swung it with all the might I could muster and released unto the mogs head, crushing it like a marshmallow. I could hear the sickening crack of its skull as it cried out in agony, its screams filling the night air. Then it lay lifeless at my feet, thick dark blood oozing from its eyes, and head. I turned my head away in disgust, not wanting to look at it any longer. Turning I walked towards Henri.

Soon I regretted not staying by the mog.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?" Henri growled. "When I say stay back, I mean stay back! Do you want to give me a heart attack is that it? Do you want to get yourself a nice looking tombstone?"

"Hey, who saved who, Mr. Big shot?" I huffed, crossing my arms across my chest. "As I recall it, you were getting your butt kicked until I came along and saved it."

"That's beside the point. It is too dangerous here for you to go off by yourself. Next time stay where I can see you." He said, ending the conversation.

That-, that jerk. Couldn't he have been even the least bit grateful? Last time I help him out. Humph, next time I would let the mog eat his corpse.

"And Mr. Big shot's sidekick?" Henri called out.

"What?" I spat.

"Thanks."

Speechless I stared at him, like he was some kind of alien. Well I guess he kinda was, but still. I think it was the first time he had actually genuinely thanked me for anything. I could feel a slight heat crawl to my cheeks, as I turned away from him.

"Yeah well, just don't make me save you again. It takes too much effort." I muttered, hiding my slightly reddened cheeks from his view.

"Aye, aye sir." He chuckled. "Now let's get out of here before we meet up with ugly's friend."

I couldn't have agreed more.

Taking up our pace once more, Henri and I dashed through the forest like there was no tomorrow, which there really wouldn't be if we didn't get out of here.

Briefly I heard the sounds of back up, making their way towards us.

Dang it.

Was there no getting rid of these guys?

"I can't believe it" I heard Henri whisper from in front of me.

"What?" I asked, trying to figure out what he was so awed at.

"Look." Henri stated simply pointing a figure in the direction to the left of me.

Straining my eyes slightly I finally noticed what Henri was talking about. Up ahead there was an old shed about one-fourth the size of a regular gym. Most of its boards seemed broken, and tons of moss had gathered over its walls. It had one cracked window on its right side, and it stood no more then nine feet off the ground. But regardless of its appearance, overall it seemed to be sturdy enough.

Perfect. I couldn't believe our luck. Now we would finally have a place to hide started to head for the door to the shaft, when Henri griped my arm.

"Wait." He said. "I don't think we should go in there. It seems too convenient. Who would build a shed out here in the middle of nowhere, with no house around? I don't like it."

"Well what else do we do? You're the one who suggested we find a place to take cover. And I don't know about you, but I think it's a lot better then hiding behind one of those bushes." I countered, pulling my arm out of his hand.

"Still I don't think-"

Abruptly another explosion rang out, and I could once again hear the cries of angry mogs. They were close. It was now or never.

"Fine, get in the shed." Henri breathed, jogging past me, opening the door.

To my surprise it didn't even creek. You'd think something this old would make a lot of noise. I stepped inside, Henri practically breathing down my neck. It was eerie. I was talking horror movie eerie. I almost expected someone to scream, "No! Don't enter the scary shed!"

Cautiously, I moved further inside. It was hard to make out things without any light, but I managed to get the general layout of it. Overall it was almost completely empty. Besides an old dusty table in the corner, and a wardrobe near the back, there was nothing in it. Wait a minute wardrobe? What was a wardrobe doing in a shed?

Apparently Henri was thinking the same thing, as he approached it curiously. His arms reached out for the handle. I held my brief. However when he opened it, nothing came out. I let out a small sigh of relief, thanking the heavens that we didn't find human brains on the shelves.

It was completely bare.

I saw Henri frown slightly, turning away.

"Huh, what's wrong? What? Were you expecting to find Narnia or something?" I questioned, smirking a little.

"I can not believe you just made a Narnia reference. I thought you hated those books." Henri said, but he seemed to only be half with me. His eyes were still scanning the empty wardrobe. Probably taking it apart in his mind. Then suddenly he got on his knees and pressed his right ear to the floor.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Shhuush!" He hissed. "Listen."

Taking his fist he gently knocked the floor. I could hear a faint echo, and I knew right away what he was searching for. Great, another complicated situation. Fun.

"It's hollow." I stated bluntly.

"Yes." He grinned. "Yes it is. Come on and help me move that wardrobe."

Sighing, I assisted Henri in pushing the heavy wardrobe to the side. Sure enough a small opening that represented a door lay beneath it. Pulling it open, Henri began to descend the ladder down into the dark room below. I followed not wanting to be left behind. As soon as my feet touched the bottom, I turned to look at Henri. He looked paralyzed, his face frozen in absolute horror and disgust. Then, my eyes detected a light, and I turned.

What I saw deeply disturbed me. No, that was a complete understatement. It terrified me, to a point where I think I had been mentally traumatized. There before my eyes lay row upon row of gigantic experimental test tubes, each containing a creature more horrifying then the last. Ignoramus tubes and wires all lead in and out of the glass, and I could see each of the creatures breathing in the toxic water in which they were contained. All of the monsters had their eyes closed, and they were in a curled up position, in which they seemed to be hugging there legs. There black scaly flesh looked as if it were expanding with every brief, and getting bigger and bigger by the second. I could see small horns emerging from on of the monsters head, and teeth so sharp that it could probably cut through rock. Or worse, my flesh. It made me shiver slightly, as I looked away.

There seemed to be hundreds of them, like some sort of mutated army. Was this what the mogs were hiding? Was this how they planned to decimate this planet? Just like mine.

Then I spotted _it_.

My eyes practically fell out of their sockets. There in the middle of it all was the biggest, fattest, and most hideous mog I had every laid eyes on.

I approached the humongous test tube that imprisoned it. Henri followed me, and we stood together staring at it. I couldn't take my eyes off the thing. There before me was probably the scariest mogdorian I could have ever come face to face with. It was pitch black, at least 12 feet tall, and 7 feet wide. It had arms bigger then lion, and feet the size of a small table. Its face was completely deformed beside a visible nose that stuck out more the Pinocchio after he had told a dozen lies. Its ears looked like those of a bull dog, and its neck was the size of a small boulder.

"Is that a mog?" I stuttered.

"Well it certainly isn't Santa Clause." Henri replied.

"What do you think there going to do with it?" I managed to ask, fearing the answer.

"Nothing good." He breathed, trying to keep the fear out of his voice, but I could still detect his shock. "Maybe we can destroy it somehow. Help me find were all of those wires led."

Just then, I heard a loud howl come from outside. The cries of the mogdorians filled the air, and I felt the blood rush to my head.

"Why now!" Henri grunted, utterly frustrated at this point. They were close; I could feel it in my bones. And this time if they caught us, I was pretty sure that they would finish the job.

"Their here." I said lifelessly. I had lost all the emotion in my voice. I wasn't sure if it was from my state of fear, or if my body had already given up.

Suddenly Henri headed for the ladder, starting to climb it.

"Where are you going?" I yelled at him.

"I'm going to distract them. I'll force their attention unto me, and make them think that you're with me. When they chase me, it will give you time to escape." He replied.

"What? No! You know how crazy that is! You'll die!" I shouted, not believing what I was hearing. He wanted to leave me? At a time like this?

"We don't have another choice. It's either this, or we can stay here like sitting ducks and wait for them to kill us both. At least this way you have a chance at survival."

"What about you? You'll be killed! There has to be another way!" I protested.

"There is no other way!" Henri roared.

Startled by the sudden outburst, I stumbled back a few steps before I regained my footing.

"Don't you get it?" He huffed. "It doesn't matter what happens to me. As long as you survive, nothing else matters. You're the only one who has a fighting chance at saving this planet. You and the other five. If I can use my life to help ensure your safety then I will gladly do whatever it takes. Get it through your head that it isn't just about me and you anymore. It is about this world's future. It's about you doing what we came here to do. Now do as I say and go hide, until it's safe to get out." Henri finished, turning to leave.

I felt my legs go numb. I had never felt so weak and helpless in my life. It felt as if the world was crashing down on my heart, as I watched in silence as Henri disappeared beyond the floor boards. I stumbled to my knees, and I could feel a hot white tear fall down my face. It was my fault. Henri was headed to his death because of my stupidity. I never should have left him and ran. I should have stayed with him after that fight and worked things out. But now it was too late to take it all back, and that's what made me hate myself the most. This was one regret I don't think I was ever going to get over.

I was utterly lost without him. He was my protector, and the only person I could really ever call family. He was like a father to me, but more then anything else, he was my best friend. He was the one person who made me feel safe. Only now did I realize this of all times, when it was already too late. And now I was possibly never going to see him again.

Suddenly I heard loud heavy footsteps coming from above, and I quickly dove behind one of the test tubes in the corner.

"Is this where they went?" A low husky voice hissed.

"Yes, but it was said that they were spotted running off into the forest." Another one exclaimed.

"Come on, let's go." The husky voice called.

I was about to breath a sigh of relief when the second one spoke again.

"Wait. Do you smell that?"

"What? I don't smell anythi-"He cut off, and I could hear the sounds of it sniffing the floor boards.

"Let's check it out."

Cursing my luck I slumped further down, trying to make myself as small as possible. I could hear them coming down the ladder, and land on the floor with a loud thud. They slowly began to walk around, each step emphasising how heavy they were. It made my heart race faster and faster within my chest, as I tried to hold my brief. The anticipation was killing me. I couldn't take this much longer. I desperately began to recite silent prayers, as I sank further into my hiding spot.

"Nothing." The one with the husky voice shouted. "They gone."

Yes! Yes! We're gone!

"No." The other grinned, holding up a small pink bunny by its cut off ear. The small stuffed animal that was _supposed_ to be in my front pocket. How did it fall out?

Well shit.

"One of them is still here." He laughed.

My heart stopped.

**BluePhantom15: **Ohh Cliff-hanger XD. I'm so mean. Anyways sorry for such a long wait. It won't happen again. It's finally summer so I'll start updating more quickly.

Anyways, **REVIEW!** The more people review, the quicker I will update, teehee. I know this chapter wasn't really worth the wait, but I strongly appreciate you guys staying with me as readers. I greatly value your support, and I hope you all will continue to stay patient with me.

Till next time,

BluePhantom15


	5. Chapter 5

**BluePantom15: **Hey everyone! Hope your all having a great summer! Well, what's left of it anyways. Sorry this is out so late. I've been going everywhere lately. But that doesn't matter. What matters is chapter five is finally done! Hope you all enjoy the read! **Please tell me what you think after!** Again I apologize in advance for any spelling/grammar errors you may find while reading.

A HUGE thank you to: **Celeste K. Raven, Trey. Just Trey, AbbeyLeeTee, **and** TheGood-TheBad-TheUgly-TheNew** for reviewing. You guys are the embodiment of epicness! XD

**Disclaimer: If I owned anything, my life wouldn't revolve around the internet. So sadly, I do not. **

**Chapter 5 **

Don't breathe, don't breathe, don't breathe.

I replayed the same message in my head over and over again. If I made a single sound, I was dead. I couldn't hold out much longer. After all even an alien could only go without oxygen for so long. The temptation to let out a huge brief was becoming stronger, as the seconds ticked by. Just a little longer. I could do this.

I could hear them getting closer. Searching, scouring, until they found me.

And when they finally managed to grab hold of me, that would be the end. There would be no emotional funeral, no relatives to mourn my passing. Heck there wouldn't even be a coffin to bury my bloodied corpse. I'd probably just be thrown in a pit and left somewhere to decompose. The thought of it made my skin crawl.

I raked my brain. Come on, think, there has to be some way of get out of this.

Then I hit me. Well it didn't actually hit me, but it might as well have. I spun around, facing the cold metal rim of the large tube I was hiding behind. Slowly, I silently flicked at it with my finger nail. A small vibration of sound filled my ears, just as I had suspected.

I stood up and decided to start moving. It wasn't going to do me any good to wait here and pray they wouldn't find me. Quickly I ran to the next tube closest to me, ducking behind it. Smirking, I picked up the small pebbles that lay at my feet.

I was glad the mogs decided not to clean up this area. We were underground and there was dirt everywhere. Normally I hated getting dirty, but I was thanking God for it now. It was time to play a little mind game with these morons.

I hope this works.

I quickly took one of the pebbles, and aimed it at a test tube way on the other side of the room. Then I threw it with all the strength I could muster. Swiftly, I grabbed another pebble and threw it at yet another test tube on the opposite side of the one I had just hit. Soon I was hitting them all over the place, and the floor quickly became filled with noise.

The mogs were practically throwing their heads back and forth, trying to figure out where to look. It was confusing the crap out of them, which is exactly what I was hoping for. All I had to do was keep redirecting their attention to different places, as I moved closer to the exit.

The loud echoes the pebbles contact made were a perfect cover for my footsteps. I was so glad that these guys were sensitive to noise as the constant banging continued to rattle their hearing. I was running out of rocks; I needed to hurry. I was so close to the exit now, moving from test tube to test tube as the mogs continued to desperately search the entire floor.

I was really starting to enjoy how completely unnecessarily massive this place was. Even if they managed to spot me, it would take them a while to get to where I was.

I could see the ladder now, and I quickly grabbed unto it, pulling myself up.

"There he is!" I heard one of the two mogs shout, which was followed by the sound of heavy marching. I spun my head round, to get a look at their location. To my horror they were a lot closer to me then I had originally predicted. I had to move and fast. I practically scrambled up the last few steps, throwing myself out of the basement, and unto the ground level floor.

I whipped around, running for the wardrobe, practically begging I would make it in time. As much as I would hate to admit it, I would never be able to take them both on, not mogs of that immense caliber.

Not without Henri at least.

I gripped the edges of the cool wood, pushing it forward. I gritted my teeth at the weight, but kept going. I could now see of the mogs heads poking out of the hole, trying to get out, as I desperately attempted to drive them downwards. I had the hole almost completely covered, but the mog kept pushing it back, like a bulldozer that was trying to run me over.

It took every ounce of my energy just to hold my position, and I was losing my footing every second that flew past me. There was no way I was going to lose here. Not like this. Not alone, and especially not when Henri still needed me.

Letting out the closest thing I could to a battle cry, which basically sounded like seagull trying to sing, I pushed the wardrobe right over the mogs head, crushing it between the floor boards. Blood splattered everywhere, as the mogs head was ripped off. It took almost everything I had not to gag at the sight, as I watched what remained of its head roll across the hard wood. Well, at least one of them was out.

However, I don't think the other one was pleased with my heroics. But then again, no self respecting villain ever was.

I could hear it scratching and clawing at the wardrobe, as its nails made the most horrendous screeching noises that I had ever heard. Pretty soon it was going to rip the thing to pieces, and I was pretty sure I didn't want to be around when that occurred. I made a rush for the door to the shed, bursting it open. As I ran out into the cold, a felt a tinge of relief run down my spine. Slamming the door shut behind me, I sprinted into the bushes near by trying to figure out a way to locate Henri. It wasn't as if I could just call out his name and expect his longitude and latitude coordinates to fall from the sky. Not that I'd be able to figure them out anyway.

Panic began to override my senses. I was tired, hungry and completely lost. And even as I stood here with my legs shaking, another mog threatened to break loose and come after me once more. I needed to find some sort of cover, or I would never lose that beast.

Even now I could feel my eyelids drifting downwards, wanting to close, wanting to stay closed. But this was no time for sleep, no matter how tired I was.

However, even as the protests filled my mind, I felt my body lowering itself to the ground. I felt the cold hard soil touch my cheek. The ground was not as comfortable as it had seemed moments ago. It was dry, fruitless, and uninviting. It held nothing for me.

So I decided to stand once more, forcing my feet to slowly move forward unto an uncertain road. Spitting out the dirt in my mouth, I girded my teeth together, and ran (into a tree, but I rather skip that part.)

Shaking my head, I started once more. I could feel my feet practically bleeding at this point. It stung like nothing else, but it was nowhere near the amount of pain I_ would_ feel if that mog caught me. I had to find Henri. It was my fault we were in this stupid scenario, so I wanted to see him at least one more time before my inevitable doom.

Trees, rocks, trees, rocks, more trees.

Gosh, sometimes you had to marvel at how boring the earth was.

Then, I could hear footsteps. I knew who's they were immediately.

It looks like he had caught up to me.

I didn't think it would happen so soon.

Mogs weren't the faster of creatures. But I suppose their massive strides made up for that distance. What was even worse was the fact that they have practically perfect eyesight in the dark. Whereas I had to squint just to see what was in front of me.

Shelter, shelter, shelter! My brained screamed at me. And if you listened closely my legs were screaming the same thing. Quickening my pace, I moved through the trees like as if I were intangible. I guess after running through this forest for so long, you got used to dodging inexplicably large objects.

I couldn't let that bulk of stupid find me now.

I was in no shape to try and fight it off, even if I wanted to.

Then for the first time in what seemed like forever (The equivalent of how long Pokémon has been airing on T.V) I spotted sanctuary.

It was a slim formation of rocks, which I knew held a small opening, leading into what was most likely a cave. I could probably just manage to squeeze through it, but that meant the mog had no chance. I found myself practically diving into the small gap, the victory dance music already beginning to play in my head.

I was free.

Suddenly a gigantic slimy hand came down on my shoulder.

I sighed.

Of course.

Well shit.

I was thrown backwards, my spin screamed out in pain as it came in contact with the wood of a large tree. I heard a sickening crack, and it took everything I had not to spill tears right then and there. I fell to the ground, in agonizing defeat. It hurt. The sheering pain hurt. I couldn't move. I couldn't think. I didn't even know what part of my body I had broken. All I knew at this point was that I was a mess, and that he was massive.

Refusing to look up at the beast, my eyes began to focus on the slit in the rock wall. I needed to get over there somehow. If I didn't manage that then all I had been through up till this now would be rendered pointless. If not for myself, I had to at least do it for Henri.

The thing was practically breathing down my neck at this point, drooling all over my cloths. I wanted so very much to gag at that moment but held back. Slowly, I titled my head upwards, finding myself looking directly in those piercing red eyes that looked all too much like a river of blood.

For just a split second, I found myself trembling. I was scared. I was frightened out of my mind, and my body wouldn't co-operate.

_Calm down. _

Take a breath.

"What's the matter brat? You pissing your pants? How pathetic." The mog practically screeched. "You look like a frightened little kitty."

"Funny, cause your voice sounds like a dying cat." I spat, not knowing what had possessed me to further aggravate the thing that was already contemplating ways to kill me.

Suddenly I felt its huge bulky fist plunge into my stomach. My mouth cracked open, wanting to cough up blood. My lungs felt as if they were going to combust from the burning heat that was building up in my body. I let out a quiet sob, as my head fell downwards to stare at the ground once more. I'll be honest; staring at dirt was getting increasingly boring.

"What, that's all you got boy? Need your stuffed animal to go nappy bye now?" It mocked me.

Wait, stuffed animal? Did it mean...

I strained my neck to move up. Just as expected in the hands of the repulsive monster was my cute, slightly messed up pink bunny. It made me smile. It reminded me of Henri, and they way he could never distinguish which colours were suitable too which gender on earth. Through I didn't quite understand why a guy who likes pink is considered odd, I don't think I could personally pull off the bright colour.

The blatant contrast between its light shade and the mog's pure black skin made me wonder why I hadn't noticed it sooner. The mog's filthy hands seemed to tighten their grip on its broken ear, practically crushing it. I'm not exactly sure why but I felt a small wave of sadness pass over me.

"Any last words, freak?" The mog shouted, as if I wouldn't be able to hear him if he did anything less than scream his lungs out.

This guy was calling _me_ a freak.

His mother must have been too poor to ever purchase him a mirror.

I'd hate to see his family's portrait.

"Yeah, I have some last words. In honor of the teens of the twenty-first century, I'd just like to say... What were the words..? Oh yeah, Bite me." I spat, literally, in his eye. The beast staggered backwards, trying to wipe the sticky substance from his face, as I attempted to stand.

I could feel it now, the pain as it crawled up my left arm. It was broken. There was no doubt about it. I must have unconsciously put it behind me when I had hit that tree. But that wasn't going to stop me now. I had to get the heck out of here. Dragging my legs forward, which was all I could do at this point, I headed towards the nearby rock formation.

The mog had already regained stability, and was headed towards me. It's huge figure creating a giant shadow that surrounded my meek looking form.

Keep going.

You're almost there.

_Move! _

I then did the stupidest thing I could have possibly done in this situation.

I jumped.

Like some kind of crazy person, I attempted to dive into the crack. And to my absolute amazement, it worked. I had just barely made it, as my body managed to squish itself inside. I was almost expecting someone to shout 'touchdown'! I blame Henri for never coming up with better activities for me to do at home than watching American football. The only problem was that now I was on lying on the floor, and I was quite tall. My legs were just slightly sticking out of the crack, and that's all the mog needed.

It grabbed my foot like it was butter, and yanked on it. I howled out in pain, as I felt my ankle dislocate itself from its socket. I managed to whip my upper body around, and begin rapidly hitting at the mog's hand with my fists. It was dragging my body out little by little, as I attempted to hang onto the rocks with one hand, and punch the things arm with my other. My left arm screamed in protest, the pain was so intense I felt like I was going to faint.

"Let go!" I screamed at the mog, as if I actually expected it to listen to the command. It didn't. Instead I felt it tighten its grip and pull even harder. I couldn't hold on anymore, and I felt my body being dragged across the dirt. I was almost fully out of the cave, when I felt a pair of strong arms wrap themselves around my upper body. I yelled out in surprise, but I couldn't turn my head around to get a look at who it was.

For now I would just have to trust them.

I once again grabbed onto the damp rocks, pulling backwards with the shadowed figure. I kicked out, hitting the mog in the face, forcing it to use its other hand to grab onto me. But unfortunately for it, it was carrying the stuffed animal in its other hand, occupying it. Then I did something stupid again. I lunged forward, and with my right arm, and grabbed the pink bunny. The figure behind me gasped in shock, their hold wavering for a split second.

Now maybe it was the pain driving me to insanity. Maybe it was because it was the only thing left of my time on Lorien. Or maybe it was the fact that deep inside I knew that Henri might be dead, and this was the only thing left of him I had.

But I wanted that pink bunny back.

I practically ripped it from the mog's sweaty palm, which turned out to be not so bright of an idea, since he pulled back.

I couldn't believe it.

I was playing tug of war in the middle of a forest at night, with a mog, over a pink bunny. Somehow I never pictured this scenario coming. Nevertheless, I kept tugging at it. With all of my remaining strength, and I meant it this time, I heaved backwards at full force, falling onto my savor. I has finally broken free. But my hears were accompanied by a unpleasant sound.

The sound of fabric being torn.

I stumbled completely into the cave out of the mog's reach. This was a good thing of course, but now I had to deal with the person I was now so rudely sleeping on.

"Ouch..." I heard the figure mumble, as they tried to sit up. "You know, you're getting way too big for this."

"Henri!" I practically squeaked, grinning like an absolute moron. Now there is one thing you have to understand: I do not do hugs. I am a full grown teen, and had an image to uphold after all. I do not do hugs.

So why was I throwing my arms around Henri like a stupid giddy child?

"I missed you too, but could you get off me? I think you're about to crush my spleen." He huffed, in slight pain.

Embarrassed, I got up immediately and backed up a few steps. Now I could hear the mog outside, scratching and clawing at the slit in the rocks, trying to dig its way in. It was no use, however, and I could hear the utter aggravation in its growls. This caused me to move forward once again, trying to get as far away from the opening as I could. I had to drag my ankle behind me, as I took a few steps.

This however, caused me to bump into Henri once more. Now that I was closer to him, I gave him a quick once over. His pants were covered in dirt, his shirt was ripped in several different places, and there was undoubtedly a large scratch across his right cheek that was bleeding slightly from the corner. All in all, he looked like he had just gotten into a street fight. But then again I suppose there wasn't much of a difference between a street fight, and a forest fight. The setting didn't matter if you still got beat up.

"I-" I was cut off.

"You're an idiot." He scoffed.

Didn't see that one coming.

"I thought I told you to wait, and stay hidden! Do you ever listen to anything I tell you?"

I was guessing that "no" was not the answer he was looking for.

"I couldn't help it! Some of them went down into the basement, and found me. I had to get away!" I said defensively.

Just then I heard a loud cry of anger, and heavy footsteps walking away. I guess the mog was getting sick of the scenery as well. No doubt he was going to try and find back up. When I was sure the creature was gone, I started again.

"Look, I was just trying to-"But I was cut off again, as Henri raised a hand to silence me.

This actually gave me time to glance around at the area I was in. Just I as I had suspected, we were in a cave of some sort. It wasn't as dark as I had expected, which was even more peculiar as it was night time. Even if there was another opening to the cave nearby, no light would be seeping in at this time. So why was it slightly brighter? I shook my head, really not wanting to think right now. The pain was still numbing my senses, and my heart was beating faster than it should.

I was realized that is was a lot more roomy then I had expected as well. It fact it was quite large. There seemed to be at least three meters of width between the walls, and the ceiling was at least four meters high. Weird...

"It doesn't matter now. What's important is getting the hell out of here." Henri said, moving deeper into the cave, as I limped behind him. He seemed to notice this and wiped around immediately causing me to yelp, and stumble back a little.

"What wrong with your leg?" He asked, not gently exactly, but in a softer tone.

"I, umm, well..." I don't know why, but I could seem to get the words out. Even now, I felt my pride get the better of me. I didn't want to hold him back because I was dumb enough to get injured. I didn't want weakness to show.

"Show me." He said completely monotone.

"It's nothing, let's just keep going." I insisted moving passed him, trying my best to hide the limping.

I felt his hand grab my shoulder with a relentless grip.

"John, show me." He said darkly. He only ever used my fake name when he was extremely angry or serious about something.

My eyes, wavered for a moment, while my brain tried to decide whether or not to obey him. It obviously decided not to, as I felt myself step forward again. At this point, everything I did was on impulse.

Suddenly I felt an arm around my waist and before I could process what was happening, I had been lifted into the air. I struggled of course for dominance, but failed dramatically. My body was now nothing but a large limp. All my energy had vaporized along with my dignity.

I felt myself being slowly let down to the ground, and now I was sitting against the cave wall, my legs out in front of me. Henri quickly grabbed my foot, and began examining it, which included taking of my shoe and sock.

My foot was an extremely ugly shade of purple, and I could see the veins clearly sticking out. I grimaced, as Henri ran his figure over the damaged skin.

"It's dislocated." He stated. "I'll need to push it back in."

Then without warning he took my foot with both hands and pushed the ankle back in place. I yelled out into the cave, shutting my eyes. I could see white dots everywhere now, as I tried to cope with the pain. I didn't know how much my nerves could take anymore.

When I finally opened my eyes I could see Henri ripping his shit, tearing the fabric.

Fabric...

Startled, I looked down that my right hand. My eyes widened. The pink bunny lay there, torn. Stuffing was coming out of its side, and its head was just barely holding on by the stitches. It was ruined. I blinked away a impending tear. I don't know why it made me so sad. But it did.

No. Actually deep down I knew exactly why it made me so disappointed.

It was because it was yet another thing that the mogs had taken away from me.

I felt Henri's cold hands once again take hold of my foot. Using the torn part of the shirt, he rapped it around my ankle. I was grateful for the support, and silently thanked him. He received the message quite clearly and nodded, as if to say 'You're welcome'.

"You're arm is broken as well, isn't it?" Henri asked suddenly, catching me off guard. Man, sometimes it felt like he knew everything.

"Yes." I muttered. There was no point in denying it now.

"We'll have to get it into a sling if we manage to find any medical supplies. For now, try and hold it cradled to your chest. Don't let too much blood flow get to it, or it will swell more." He said in his 'I'm the expert of everything' voice that annoyed me so much. But I just simple nodded. At time like these it was better to just agree with him on everything. It was less emotionally frustrating that way. Even if I did argue, he always won in the end, so there really wasn't any point.

I looked down at the stuffed bunny once more. Then something unexpected happened. I spotted a small glitter of light coming from inside the stuffing. Puzzled, I began to poke it with my finger. My skin then came in contact with cold hard metal. I let my hand rap around the cool object, and slowly pulled it out.

It was... a key?

A small key with s strange design on it now rested in the palm of my hand. It was brilliant silver, with small specks of gold around the edges, as an outline. Two creatures, which looked like birds, were intertwined, with their wings sticking out. The bottom wing of each bird was touching one another, while the top wings were wrapped around the edge at the top of the key.

"What is it?" Henri questioned, trying to see what was in my hand. I turned it around so he could see.

"A key?" He asked.

"Yeah it was in the pink bunny." I said, pointing at its remains.

"In the bunny? I never put..." Henri trailed off obviously trying to remember something.

The only question now was what was it for? And more importantly, what did it open?

"What is this key for?" I asked, trying to start up a conversation again. Henri didn't respond at first, still lost in thought. Then he seemed to come back to himself, probably giving up on trying to recall anything.

"How would I kno-" Then Henri's eyes widened, to a point where they seemed they would fall out of their sockets.

"Oh my God."

"What?" I asked, "What is it?"

"If I'm right, then I know exactly what that key unlocks. And I know exactly why the mogs cleared out this place to find it." Henri breathed.

"What? What does it unlock?" I said, curiosity practically killing me at this point.

Henri looked around, as if he suspected someone might be watching us. I knew he was careful, but come on. Who would be running around in this cave for fun? I doubt anyone sane enough to understand what we were talking about anyway.

Just tell me already!

"A map." He whispered.

A map? Really, that was the unmentionable treasure. Well he had really deadpanned my dreams there. The way he was talking before, I thought that I was holding the key to Atlantis or something. But then again this was Henri. The man who marveled at the art of origami (folding paper). What interested him was clearly a lot different then what anyone else would consider cool.

" A map?" I repeated.

"Yes." He said simply.

"A map?" I said again, this time I could hear my voice echoing of the cave walls.

"Yes, I thought you heard me the first time. What are you having difficulty grasping?" He questioned.

I was tempted to say 'everything', but decided against it. Better not to piss of the guy who currently looked like he had just transformed back from being the hulk.

" A map of what?" I asked instead.

"Everything."

The one words puzzled me. Everything? That must be one seriously large piece of paper.

"What do you mean by everything?" I breathed.

"Everything. You, me, and the other five." Henri replied. Before I could question him further, he began to explain more clearly. "You see, before we left Lorien, It was decided that we should create a map with magically properties that could track the locations of every one of the nine and their protectors. In other words, it moves along with us, and always knows you're location. Kind of like a tracking device. At first this was simply a safety precaution. Earth was a new world to us, and we weren't sure what would happen. We needed to have some insurance if we ever managed to lose or get separated from one of the nine. It was to make sure we always knew where each of you were, and if you were endanger. We of course realized that this was a double edged sword. If the map remained in our possession we could use it was a means of insuring your safety. However if it fell into the mogs hands, we would practically send all of you to ruin."

"Then why didn't you put some sort of spell on it to make sure the mogs couldn't read it?" I asked, amazed at what I was hearing.

"Magic isn't as simple as that. We have powers, but they like anything in this universe are limited. We realized during the voyage to earth, that it was too dangerous to have after all, since in the hands of the mogs, it would kill us all. We decided that as soon as we reached earth, we would destroy it. So we placed it in a magic binding case, with only a single key as a way of opening it. My companions said they would hide the key, where no one would ever expect it. I'm guessing that is how they key ended up in your toy... But I had no knowledge or part in that matter. However, we never did get the chance to destroy it. As you well know, after we crashed we immediately had to run and hide. I guess we all assumed it went up in flames with the rest of the ship. We were carless." Henri took a breath.

"Wait a minute, are you telling me that this is what the mogs have been searching for all this time" I asked, pointing at the key.

Henri nodded. "Probably, I don't see what else here they could possibly want. Although how in the hell they managed to get a hold of this information is beyond me. This is bad, very bad. If they know that the map exists and gets their hand on it, you and the other five are finished. That is of course if it isn't already destroyed. Still the possibility is enough to be fearful. It's too great to ignore." Henri stated. He tried to hide it, but I could see him trembling slightly.

"That was there plan all along!" I exclaimed. "They were planning on taking the map, and once they knew our location they were going to send the mog army they've been manufacturing in the basement to go and slaughter us."

Henri nodded in agreement. It was a sound theory. And so mog like too.

"Then we have to find it first!" I said, staring fearlessly into Henri's eyes. "This is perfect. If the map still exists, we can get to it first."

"Are you mad? You actually plan to bring the key right to them! That's like asking them to murder you. No, we should just destroy the key. That way even if it still does exist the mogs will never get to it." Henri concluded, nodding at his own proposal in approval.

"No way!" I said, grabbing Henri's attention once more. "Don't you see? This is our chance! You always said that the six of us have to unite to save this world. If we could use the map to find the other five, then we win. No more running, no more hiding. We can face them head on together. Isn't that what we were sent here to do in the first place?"

"Yes, but you're not ready yet! You still have no control over you're abilities. You need more time before you're ready to face the mogs. All of you do. That's why I'm here to keep you safe, until you are ready. I won't let you throw your life away on a possibility." Henri clarified using that ever so famous 'I know what's best for you, so shut up' tone.

I huffed in annoyance. Why did he never listen to me?

"But what if it _did _work out? What if we could use it to find the others? Wouldn't that make our jobs a whole lot easier? And in any case if you don't want the mogs to have it why don't we just try and find it first? Then once we have the box we can destroy it if we have to. Either way it would be safer if we had it in our possession right? That way it clears out any possibility of them finding another way to open it. That is of course if the box still exists." I finished pleased with my speech.

Henri looked as if he were thinking it over. That was Henri alright. He had to ponder over something a million times before he made any kind of decision. Like this one time it took him a day to decide whether or not to allow me to have a cookie. A cookie of goodness sakes! All I remember was him mumbling something about sugar overdose. He also kept telling me to think about consequences or something like that. I stopped listening to him half way through.

"Fine, I guess it wouldn't hurt to see if we could find it." Henri finally spoke. "But nothing rash, and only when you're perfectly healed."

Yes! Score one for the blonde dude!

Henri could see me smirking in victory, and rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, celebrate while you still can. But where exactly do you plan to start looking?" He questioned.

I immediately knew the answer to that question. There was only one place to start.

"We're going to have to go back, to the crash site. To where it all began." I finished dramatically.

Henri sighed, already knowing what I had been going to say.

"Well if you manage to think up a way to get passed all of those rampaging mogs, be my guest. For now, let's just get some rest. We're going to need our strength if we want to escape this place." Henri stated.

There was no argument there. I was dead tired. Not to mention freezing. I lowered my upper body to the ground, setting my head on the stone cold floor. I gripped the key tighter in my hand, as if fearing I would lose it.

"Let me hang onto that for now." Henri said, reaching out his hand to take the key, and safely slipping it into one of his pockets.

Then he too laid himself on the ground next to me, so we were only about a foot apart. Then out of nowhere, he stuffed the pink bunny into my arms to hold unto. I smiled; closing my eyes. I clenched the bunny to my chest as if I never wished to part from it. It was soft and felt nice against my bare skin. It was a small relief to all the pain I had felt today. And I didn't want to let it go.

My body shivered from the damp air.

"John?"

I opened my eyes.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Don't try and run away. I really don't feel like chasing you into a desert if this happens again."

It was my turn to roll my eyes.

Still I couldn't help but roll over to him ever so slightly. He was warm, and I was freezing. Henri seemed to understand this. Typical. He always understood everything. But I was thankful when he didn't speak, but simply used his arm to pull me closer.

We were very close to one another, but we weren't hugging.

After all, men don't hug.

But lying there with the small stuffed pink bunny to my chest, and my protector by my side, I felt like a child again.

And maybe it was okay for a child to hug.

Just this once.

**BluePhantom15:** Awww, isn't that cute? XD (jk) I really want to know what you guys thought! I love it when you review! It's the reason I keep on writing! So please leave a quick message. I don't care how short! Anything would make me overjoyed. **So please take the time to review.**

Oh, by the way. I am very curious as to how old you guys think I am. It'd be interesting to see how old I seem to you based on my writing. So try and guess my age! Leave your guess in a review. I want to see who can come the closest. (Pretty silly, but I am curious.)

Till next we read,

BluePhantom15


	6. Chapter 6

**BluePhantom15**: I'm late, I know. Sorry. But I'm here now and that's good right? XD

I just wanted to say thanks to: **Celeste K. Raven, Abbey Lee Tee, ThatOneOverThere, Asha the Mule, Whoever344 and Bobby Corwen** for reviewing last chapter. You guys are incredible, and I'm so happy you take the time to read and comment on this story. Thank you so much. Also congratz to the Guest, and Abbey Lee Tee for guessing my age right. Yes people, I'm fifteen XD, hope that doesn't come back to haunt me. Anyways, on with the story!

**Disclaimer:** Really? This again? I thought 'FAN'-fiction was pretty self explanatory. O well, as always, I own nothing.

"Wake up."

I heard a voice, recognized it, and then decided to ignore it. Unfortunately for me, the speaker didn't seem to grasp the concept of rejection.

"Wake up."

I rolled over, bumping into a solid figure that just so happened to be Henri, not the wall. I would have taken the wall anyday.

"What..?" I said groggily, "I'm tired."

"Oh, you don't say? Well then just go right back to sleep. Take your time, there's no rush. We only have about- let's see an army of mogs outside who want to eat us. But you're tired. I'm sure they'll understand." Henri spat, slapping me in the leg, and then proceeding to practically lift me up by my upper arms.

"You haven't had your breakfast yet have you?" I stated. Henri was never a morning person contrary to popular belief, which could very well be the reason I was so used to sleeping in.

"Yeah, I ate a rock. You want the leftovers?" He said sarcastically, leaning me against the cold cave wall.

"Careful, if you don't feed me properly it might be considered a form of child abuse." I joked half heartedly, still half asleep.

"Yeah, and where are the laws against guardian exploitation?" He questioned, turning away.

"I don't know... Maybe the mogs ate them?" I smirked.

"Cute."

"Thank you, and I don't exploit you." I stated defensively.

"Yeah, and I'm a flamingo." He spat sarcastically.

"Well you do turn an abnormal shade of pink when you eat too many spicy foods." I countered, making sure not to smile.

"Yeah? And this coming from the guy who won't do his own laundry, because he's scared of washing detergent. That's right, shut up." He finished, attempting to wipe off the dirt from his shoes by dragging them across the floor.

To my surprise I didn't say anything else. I guess I was just too tired to speak. My breathing was slightly louder than it should have been, and my body was aching like there was no tomorrow, which for me could very well be literal. Everything hurt. My ankles felt like jelly, swaying back and forth to sift the weight off my wound. My arm felt like a pretzel, bending in ways that it shouldn't, and my head was a big fat, red, throbbing cherry without the stem. Not that I needed or wanted the green.

I was covered in scratches cuts and bruises. Henri himself didn't look much better. Even from the angle I was at, I could spot the dark black circles under his eyes. It seemed like I wasn't the only one who was exhausted.

I found that the cold wall was slightly refreshing on my burning cuts, and for a moment, I wondered if that was the reason Henri had sat me against it in the first place. I had to admit, even if he was the most annoying person on earth sometimes, no on lorien_ and_ earth, he really did genuinely care.

I suppose I should be thankful for that. But that didn't mean I had to tell him. After all silent praise is the best praise in my book. Besides, people are usually only recognised for their deeds after they die, and I didn't want Henri leaving me yet. Not that I really cared, it's just I needed _someone_ to practise my witty banter on. Otherwise I would get out of shape.

"Well since we're all done chatting, let's get going shall we?" Henri exclaimed, moving over to me and gently putting my good arm around his neck.

With me in tow, we started walking over to the small gap in the wall that had I had originally come in from. Which begged the question where had _Henri _come in from? I wanted to ask, but then decided against it. Wherever he had come from, it was obviously swamped with mogs, or we would have been going that way now.

Though I highly doubted that the way we were headed now was completely clear either. But with me barely able to stand and Henri having to drag me, I wondered how we would ever get out of this mess.

Here's to hoping for the best.

Stuffed pink rabbits foot, don't fail me now.

As we approached, I started to see the sunlight more clearly and I felt its glorious warmth on my face. Never before had I been so attracted to the colour yellow.

"You okay?" I heard Henri huff from beside me. I could see sweat tear down his face, and his chest rising and falling at an increasing rate. I was almost tempted to ask him the same question, but refrained.

"Yeah, I fine, just a little shaken." I told him, avoiding eye contact. I didn't want to him to look at me, not now, not when I felt so rundown.

After seeing all those commercials on guys with six pack abs, I always thought getting into shape would be fun. I just never guessed it would entail running though the woods all night and bleeding like a ketchup dispenser.

Healthy active living my butt.

More like active, painful, dying. I needed to get a new fitness trainer. Henri wasn't working out.

We were practically out of the cave now. I hesitated for a moment before actually stepping out. But I just managed to push myself forwards, and my feet once again connected to the soft brown dirt. Looking around, I was shocked to see no mogs in sight. I guess they were having their breakfast right now. Whatever the case, I was happy beyond content.

Henri seemed relieved to, as his posture lighted up ever so slightly. But like always he was still on alert, looking for the smallest traces of movement. I found myself rolling my eyes at this. Even half dead he managed to act like a boy scout.

I groaned in pain, as Henri shifted slightly, bringing my sore side with him. I could faintly hear a muffled sorry, which surprised me, but I didn't comment. I figured Henri really wasn't in the mood for my witty replies right now.

We kept moving, through the trees. It was taking a lot more time then I was comfortable with. I knew that we had to basically cross an entire forest before we could even get to the city, but I was kind of hoping that it would be one of those, 'it was as a blur' trips. Unfortunately for me, I was taking in every waking detail.

The pain was infecting my head now. My vision was beginning to blur, and a small wave of dizziness overcame me. I looked over at Henri, as he tightened his grip on me ever so slightly. Despite the fact I was grateful for the extra support, the grip he had on me was making me a little uncomfortable. But then I suppose someone going through agonizing pain would feel uncomfortable in most situations.

The suddenly I found myself tremble forward, despite my best efforts to stay straight.

"John!"

Henri was on me in a second, barely managing to catch me before I hit the dirt floor. I shook my head trying to shake the dizziness away. Looking up at him, I managed to fake a tiny grin.

"I'm fine." I stated half heartedly. "Don't worry about me. Let's keep going."

"People, who are fine, don't almost topple over from head trauma. You are NOT fine!" Henri suddenly burst. I winced at the tone of his voice. I hadn't been expecting him to react like this. I guess he was more tired and frustrated then I had originally given him credit for.

"Yes I am. It was just a little fall no big deal." I said, and then tried a slight chuckle to lighten the mood. It didn't work.

"How stupid do you think I am John?" Henri practically hissed at me. Being held up by him and inches away from his face, I realized I never really had the pleasure of feeling Henri's anger up close. Literally. Until now.

"I'm fine I-"

"You're impossible" He cut off, and abruptly I found myself being hoisted into a fireman carry. I let out a small gasp of protest, before I found myself staring at Henri's back.

"What are you-? Henri I'm fine, put me down, I can walk." I breathed, but found myself being ignored. "Henri I-"

"Shut up." He grumbled, most likely strained from the excess weight. I had to admit, I wasn't the lightest teenager in the world. He kept moving, hauling my immobile body with him. I tried to wiggle and worm out of his relentless grip, but from some odd reason this just seemed to make me dizzier, and him to hold on tighter.

I tried shaking my head again, but to no avail. My ever growing headache was getting worse. Before I could stop myself, I let out a muffled cry of pain. My head felt like it was going to explode. But why was it all of a sudden hurting like this? It didn't make sense. I mean, I was fine earlier.

Henri came to an abrupt halt. There was nothing but absolute silence for a moment. Then Henri dismounted me from his shoulder, and I was gently laid down next to a tree. I groaned as my body touched the cold, hard forest floor. Henri knelt down to my level, and looked me in the eyes as if he were searching for something. Then He said one of the strangest things I had ever heard come from his mouth, and trust me when I say I've heard some pretty peculiar things in my life time.

"Give me your head." He said completely serious.

"What?" I asked confused. "Don't tell me that you're the headless horseman reincarnated. Next you're going to tell me you're actually my father. "

"Haha." He huffed sarcastically, "Very funny. Remind me to cancel our cable when we get back. I let you watch waaay too much T.V."

"Hey," I retorted, "You wouldn't let me go to school, I needed something to do all day besides look at your spoon collection."

"Hey don't knock it. It's a pretty kickass collection. Besides it helps me keep track of where we've been."

"Then you must have half the spoons in the world by now." I smiled, but it was bitter one. It reminded me how many times we moved, how many non-existent friends I left behind.

"Stop avoiding the subject. Let me see your head." He said again, reaching for my aching scalp. I instinctively pulled away, shifting back from the approaching hands. It wasn't the brightest idea, as I found my head suddenly come in contact with the tree stump behind me.

"Owww!" I cried, now trying to throw my head forwards instead of back. I searched for the predictable bump that would now form on my scalp. But to my utter shock, there was no bump. Instead I felt a cool liquid run through my fingers. I quickly pulled my hand to a place where my vision could reach, and immediately had to stop myself from gagging. Dark red blood covered my hands like a glove. This couldn't be happening.

"John! John! Look at me. Look at me!" I heard his voice call, but I wasn't paying attention. All I could see was blood, all I could feel was its movement on my hands, all I could hear was the pounding in my head.

I felt a hand come around my head, covering the wound, stopping the blood flow.

"John, you need to look at me." Henri said gently, titling my head slowly. I blinked a few times, trying to refocus. For the strangest reason, my head didn't hurt anymore, I just felt dizzy. I felt the blood stop flowing, and at that moment, I just wanted to seep back and fall asleep.

"John, don't close your eyes. Don't close your eyes. You need to stay awake." He exclaimed. He then went to rip off some more of what was left of his shirts, and wrapped it like a giant band aid around me wound.

I tried to keep my eyes open, but as the seconds ticked by, I found it becoming harder and harder. I keep my eyes on him, trying to stay focused.

"Damn it! You must have injured it yesterday, and by hitting that tree you made the gash bigger." He growled, never letting go of my head.

"Ummm, sorry?" I mumbled.

"Stupid!" He exclaimed suddenly and a hand left my head, and connected to his own forehead. "How could I have not seen this before? It's all that stupid hair of yours, that's why I didn't spot it, it hides everything!"

Was he really just blaming my hair for his lack of attention span?

"We have to get you some real medical supplies. There's no time to waste, come on. Jump on my back, and hold on tight. Don't loosen your grip and don't let go." He said, hunching over, waiting for me to climb up.

I was about to say something along the lines of 'yeah, because I want to fall off a moving pedestrian', but instead I found myself nodding, and slinging my arms around his shoulders. I don't know about other aliens, but I liked blood when it was _inside_ my body.

With a small grunt, Henri stood up. He began jogging at a steady speed, but as I bounced up and down, my head began to feel worse. I was almost tempted to plead for him to stop, but held my tongue. He was doing this for me, I couldn't complain. The consistent bobbing of my head on my shoulders was making my neck crank in angles it shouldn't. Finally I gave up, and rested it on Henri's shoulder in an attempt to keep it in one place. It didn't feel as bad now, but it still hurt like a stubbed toe.

I noticed that we were now approaching a clearing, and I immediately recognized it as the landing site of our aircraft. The abnormally smooth surface was a clear indicator of that. Something right then didn't feel right in the pit of my stomach. It could just be that my brain was sending messed up signals to the other parts of my body, but I felt as if something was out of place. Then I realized what it was.

The mogs.

Where were they?

Why hadn't they tried to come after us?

They knew we had taken refuge in that cave, why hadn't they waited for us at the openings? It didn't make sense, not that any of my senses were actually working at the moment.

All of a sudden Henri came to a halt. I could feel his heart rate beating so fast, I was surprised I couldn't hear it. I was about to question why we had stopped when I spotted what Henri was looking at.

I felt about ready to puke.

If we weren't already half dead, we would surely be all dead now.

Mogdorians.

Even the name made me cringe in pain. And there were about a gazillion of them in front of us now. No, make that a gazillion and two, including the couple hiding in the bushes.

Well world it was nice walking on you.

I was about to become compost for the soil where I stood, well technically where Henri carried me, and this time I truly couldn't do anything about it. If there were really such things as guardian angels, then I really needed to fire mine. They sucked. And you can put that in writing and email it straight to:

_heaven-didn't-help-me at hot mail . com_.

"Hold on tight" Henri whispered under his brief. He said it so calmly I wanted to slap him upside the head. Did he NOT see the gigantic army of buff monsters about to take our heads off?

He began running straight for them.

Apparently he hadn't.

But since when did Henri become suicidal? Not on my watch, I can say that with a clean conscience. I may have driven him up the wall a few times, but never to the point where he thought of killing himself, or murdering me for that matter.

Well I guess if we were going down, we were going down fighting, or something clichéd like that.

I closed my eye. I didn't want to see what I knew was going to happen next. Better to just pretend to die peacefully.

With every long stride Henri took, it brought us every inch closer to them. For a couple of seconds I had been hoping that Henri had some kind of plan in all this. But now I realized he was just winging it. I guess he figured we wouldn't have been able to outrun them anyways. It was a reasonable assumption. We probably wouldn't have.

But never in my life had I heard of what we were attempting to do now. Sure there's that whole hypothetical expression that if you encounter a wall you go over it, under it or even around it. But never had I heard of someone trying to go _through_ it.

Crazy.

But then again, we were two aliens stranded on earth because our planet was blown up by ugly, overgrown apes on steroids. _Sane_ was never an option.

Closer and closer, we were partially only a 10 meters away when, out of nowhere, I heard a loud high frequency sound, almost like a whistle but different. It kept filling the air, and I threw my hands over my ears. The sound wasn't terrible, it was just loud. Looking up, I saw the mogs acting funny. In fact it looked like they were in pain. They were all shifting and turning, some cried out with an awful sounding shriek, while others used their big sweaty hands as ear muffs. I couldn't believe my eyes, as they began to retreat back into the trees beyond the opening.

Suddenly I heard a sound that I hadn't heard in what seemed like forever.

A car engine.

And it was coming from behind us.

Before I could register what was happening, Henri had whipped around, and we were facing the oldest, most worn down truck I had ever seen in my life. From the front, and lean muscular figure had hopped out, heading towards us.

He ran up to Henri, his face coming into view. He had brown hair, and dark brown eyes. He was at most in his late thirties, and was quite tall compared to Henri.

"Come on, It won't hold them off for much longer."

"What is that sound?" I asked still dazed.

"It's kind of like a whistle, that is practically poisonous to those monsters over there, but I'll have more time to explain later. Right now we have to get out of here. Besides, your friend looks like he needs treatment fast." He said pointing to me.

"And who are you?" Henri inquired suspiciously.

"My name is Malcom. Malcom Goode. And we have to leave."

Without further questioning, Henri and I jumped in the truck.

It was time to get the heck out of this forest.

**BluePhantom15:** Haha, that was fun. Sam's dad is here! Things are finally going to get interesting :).

**Review please?**


	7. Chapter 7

**BluePhantom15:** Hey, guys I'm back from the dead. I had to crawl up through dirt and worms to get back here, but I made it. I'm really sorry for the long wait.

Anyways, thank you so much to: **Celeste K. Raven, ****OnceUponATime102, WhiteLupusAlpha, KittlyAbz, Bobby Corwen** and all my other guests for reviewing. You guys are more awesome then you know.

Also a special thank you goes out to my big sister, for editing this chapter for me. You rule sis! XD

Hope you guys enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing... yet.

I've always hated the way the world seems to just pass you by, looking out a car window. It's as if you're seeing everything move around you, but you're never really a part of it. It makes you feel isolated, cut off from the world, even as you roll over its soil. I just stared at the glass absent mindedly, my badly bandaged head leaning against the clear surface. Every time we hit a bump, my body would ache.

Just a few more minutes.

Just a few more minutes.

I said the line over and over to myself, praying it was true. I just wanted to lie down in a warm, comfy bed, to rest my head on a pillow before I fell asleep.

We hit another bump. Before I could register anything I let out a groan of pain. My eyesight went blurry for a moment, and all I could make out were the blobs of green and brown passing me by.

I swirled my head to my other side, to notice a body shifting ever so slightly closer to mine. Although my vision didn't allow me to make out the face, I knew it was Henri. I shook my head repeatedly, trying to regain focus. Suddenly large hands grasped either side of my face, abruptly halting my movements.

"Would you stop that?" Henri growled, "You're only making it worse."

I huffed under my breath as I wrenched my head away from his hands, turning back to the window.

"Leave me alone." I commanded, but it came out slurred and meek.

"Goodness, you sound like a whining toddler." He joked, trying to lighten the atmosphere. But it had the opposite effect.

"And you sound like a half-assed guardian who won't shut his trap." I spat angrily. Needless to say I wasn't in the best of moods right now.

"I can't shut my trap, because I constantly have to state the obvious for my idiot of a charge." Henri said light heartedly. I had no idea why he was in such a good mood. Maybe he just liked to watch me suffer.

"Can I kill him?" I questioned allowed, not actually sure as to whom I was speaking to.

"Please try not to, I wouldn't want to have to patch up both of you." The man named 'Malcom' said from behind the steering wheel.

"Don't worry, I doubt he could even muster a punch right now." Henri smiled, mockingly.

Seriously, could I kill him? As if to prove him wrong, I managed to lift my non-broken arm into the air, and slap him upside the head...Or at least attempted to. Henri caught my hand mid hit, holding it in place above his head.

He chuckled. "Really, this is how you counteract my theory? How mature."

I snarled, ripping my wrist back and cradling it near my side. I was gonna murder this guy. Normally he didn't get to me this much, but right now I wanted Henri's head on a stick. I tried taking a deep breath, and slumping back onto the hard seat, it wasn't exactly comfortable but it was definitely better than dirt. The car shook again, and I did a little jump in my seat. Putting my hand on my forehead, I gritted my teeth. I didn't know how much longer I could endure this. How far away was this guy's house? I mean I was grateful that he was helping us out, but why couldn't he live any closer? Every meter felt like a kilometer when your skull was about to explode.

I could feel my eyes begin to water, despite my protests. I didn't want to break down. Not here, not now.

Not now.

Suddenly, a cool hand wrapped around the side of my head, and gently tugged it closer. Soon my ear was pressed against something solid, and a soft beating was all I could hear. The rest of my body, was soon pulled closer as well, and I found myself laying against Henri's chest.

"It's okay. Everything's going to be alright. I promise." He whispered kindly.

I clenched my fist as I let a small tear roll down my cheek. The liquid was quickly absorbed by Henri's tattered shirt, and disappeared into the fabric. I thought to retort that Henri was like a giant tissue, but couldn't find the strength. I buried my face in his chest as I let more tears fall. Then with everything I had left, I closed my eyes and drifted off into sleep.

~Protective~Protective~Protective~Protective~Protective~Protective~Protective~Protective~Protective~

"Wake up John, wake up''

A hand was gently shaking me back into consciousness. I blinked slowly, and then blinked again. My unfocused vision was met with a wooden ceiling. It took me a moment to register that I was lying on a bed in someone's house, then to conclude that it was probably Malcom's.

I forced myself into a sitting position on the covers. My hand reached up to my head, to find clean bandages and un-greasy hair. In fact my whole body felt a lot cleaner, lighter even. I then noticed my other arm in a sling against my chest. Looks like a lot had happened while I was out. At least I didn't feel like utter crap anymore.

Wait a minute.

Clean?

How had I gotten clean?

"HENRI!"

"What? What's wrong John?" He asked a little startled, backing away from the bed slightly.

"Please, please, please, tell me you didn't bathe me while I was asleep." I practically pleaded.

Suddenly his face went all serious. "It was the only way to get the blood off."

"HENRI!"

"I'm sorry. It wasn't exactly comfortable for me either. But it was the only way to make sure you wouldn't get any infections." He reasoned.

"I'm going to murder you!" I shouted, grabbing the sole pillow on the bed, and throwing it at his head. It managed to hit him square in the face, but being a pillow it didn't manage to cause him much damage.

"Death by cotton. That would be a terrible way to go." He laughed, picking up the pillow, and walking to the other side of the room.

"Get back here!" I growled.

"Ha, not so dangerous without your weapon of mass destruction are you?" Henri chuckled, swaying the pillow back and forth mockingly.

"Wait till I get my hands on the bed springs." I threatened, eyeing him intently.

"Okay, there's no need to start world war three over this." Henri exclaimed, still fiddling with the pillow.

"Implying that we've already had world war one and two." I smirked.

"Yeah, let's not relive those." Henri agreed.

Despite myself, I let out a small chuckle. It was good to laugh sometimes, regardless of your situation. I learned that a long time ago, growing up in constant danger. After all, laughter was the remedy to cure all ills, or something like that.

"And finally the embodiment of grumpiness laughs. It's about time."

"Shut up." I said, lying back down.

The bed was everything I had hoped it would be, not rocks and dirt. So it was good enough for me. I found my head wasn't throbbing anymore, and my arm didn't feel like I wanted to cut it off either. I just hoped that my ankle was strong enough for me to walk on. Well, no time like the present to find out.

Swinging my legs over the side of the bed, I placed my good foot on the ground. Then slowly, and cautiously, I lowered my bad ankle down, laying my foot flat. I hissed in pain, from bending the joint, but once it was set in place I felt better. Maybe it was too soon to put any weight on it, but at least I could bend it. That was a good sign.

"I think you should lay off walking for now. You might have gotten some rest, but not nearly as much as you need in order to properly heal your wounds." Henri said, eyeing my foot. "Lay back down. I'll get you some water."

Water.

My dry throat was practically begging for it, and I hadn't even noticed until now. I guess that's how out of it I was. In fact, now that I thought about it, when was the last time I ate anything?

"Could I have something to eat too?" I asked Henri before he could leave.

"Yeah, sure. I'll be right back."

Weird. It felt like Henri was avoiding something. Or maybe hiding something, but what? I shook my head. I was over thinking things again, it was probably nothing. Now alone in the room, I could take in the scenery better. I realized just how cluttered it was. All over the walls were articles about incidents, missing people reports and mysterious deaths. There was a small closet on the other side of the room with a mirror hanging on its door.

On the wall next to me was a small window overlooking the forest. This place must have been just on the outskirts of it. Great, more trees to look at, _glorious_. On the wall adjacent to the bed was a dirty wooden desk. Papers filled it from side to side, probably more articles. I was starting to question what this guy did for a living.

Then something caught my attention. It wasn't big. In fact it was the smallest picture frame I had ever seen. But in the picture I could make out the face of the man, Malcom, and a smaller boy next to him. The boy looked about my age with a few small freckles on either cheek, brown hair, and brown eyes, wearing a green sweater that look three sizes too big for him.

He was smiling, a genuine smile, one arm wrapped around Malcom's back and the other holding a peace sign to the camera. There was a gleam in his eyes that I had never seen before in my life. A gleam of something I couldn't place my finger on. And I wondered if I would look like that if I had grown up human. If maybe, I would have the same gleam in my eyes.

"He's my son."

The sudden voice startled me and I jumped slight off the covers. Malcom was standing in the doorway. He wore faded ripped jeans, and a baggy plain t-shirt. His messy brown hair fell over into his eyes, and he had some stubble across his chin.

"Your son?" I questioned.

"Yes. That picture was taken earlier this year when we went to Minnesota."

"Where is he now?" I don't know why I asked that. Maybe I was hoping that he was here, downstairs.

"With his mother. Me and her don't exactly see eye to eye." He replied, walking over to the desk.

"Oh, I see." I said, but it was more of an under the breath whisper.

"He's a spirited one. Always craving adventure. We would just come back from a trip and he would already be asking where our next one was." He smiled.

I didn't know this kid, but I liked him already. He sounded cool. But I was more of the stay at home alien myself.

"Do you get to see him?" I asked.

"Sometimes. Not nearly as much as I would like to though. But what I do could be a little too dangerous for him." He replied.

You're telling me. That stunt back there with the mogs, crazy. Which reminded me, why did this guy help us? How did he even know about the mogs, and where did he get that whistle thingy? I was about to open my mouth and ask when Henri walked through the door.

"Hey John, I could only find some bread and cheese, so I hope you like sandwiches." Henri said, walking over to the bed, and placing the plate on my lap. He then gave me the water, and I took it with my good hand.

"Thanks." I mumbled, taking a sip of the water.

"Speaking of thanks," Henri said, turning to Malcom, "I can't thank you enough for helping John and me. I really appreciate all the medical care you provided him, as well as giving us a place to stay for the night."

"You're a doctor?" I questioned, looking at Malcom.

"I used to practice it when I was younger." Malcom admitted, but for some reason it didn't look like something he was proud of.

"Thank you." I said.

"You're welcome."

"Malcom, do you mind if I spoke to you downstairs for a moment?" Henri smiled, but it seemed fake.

"Yes, of course."

"John, finish eating then take a nap. You need to get more sleep." That was the last thing Henri said before shutting the door behind him.

When I was sure that Henri had finished his descent downstairs, I placed the water and food on the ground. Taking a deep breath, I lowered myself to the ground and unto my knees. Trying to make as little sound as possible, I crawled to the door and turned the handle carefully, praying the door wouldn't creek as I opened it. Fortunately for me, it didn't.

As I had suspected there was a small hallway, with a stairwell leading down. I made my way over, and started crawling down the stairs. Every step was like a new challenge, and I cursed under my breath at how hard it was. Everything still hurt, and it wasn't making this experience any easier. Finally I was on the last step, and Henri and Malcom came into view. Luckily there was the railing wall between me and them, so they couldn't see me. Closing my eyes, I concentrated on hearing their conversation.

"I'm going to ask you one more time. How do you know about us?" That was Henri's voice.

"I told you! I've met people like you before. I was here the day your airship crashed. I saw the whole thing!"

"What do you _think_ you know about us?" Henri hissed.

"I know you come from a planet called Lorien. I know that those creatures, Mogdorians are hunting you down, trying to eliminate the rest of your race. I just want to help I swear."

"I'm sure you do." Henri said bluntly.

"I'm telling you the truth. I can help you."

"How?"

"Because I think I know what you're looking for."

"What makes you think that we're looking for anything?" Henri questioned.

"Well, I figured why else would you be out in the middle of these woods. You're looking for the box right?"

"What box?"

"The one that the mogs are holding onto so dearly. They found it somewhere near the crash site. They cleared the whole damn place looking for it."

"What did it look like?"

"Umm, it was white, with the crest on the front. It looked like-"

"Like two sparrows with open wings." Henri finished.

"Yeah, that."

"The map..."

My eyes widened. So the mogs did have the map then. I guess that didn't take long.

"The what?" Malcom asked, but Henri shook him off.

"Never mind. It's nothing. And don't tell John about any of this, do you understand?"

"Why not?"

"Because if he knew, he would want to go after it, and get himself killed and I'm not about to let that happen." Henri concluded.

That bastard. So much for guardian support.

**BluePhantom15:** I'm so sorry again for the long wait. Please forgive me, or don't, but either way don't let that stop you from reviewing! Reviews are like sugar for the soul.


	8. Chapter 8

**BluePhantom15:** Finally a new chapter! Sorry it's so short, but the next will be more action packed I assure you. Thank you so much to all those who reviewed, they always bring a smile to my face. As usually this story is not beta'd, so sorry for any mistakes you may find while reading.

**Disclaimer:** I seriously own nothing. Nothing. Seriously.

I crawled back up the stairs, and unto the bed. I had to admit, I was still kinda tired from the multiple near death experiences. I must be getting out of shape. I rested my head back unto the pillow, closing my eyes briefly, before I heard the footsteps.

Henri's footsteps.

I could recognize them from anywhere. The question was did I confront him, or sneak around behind his back? Maybe a little of both, I decided. Finally the door creaked open and Henri walked in with this pompous face like he owned the place. It made my skin crawl when he flashed a grin at me.

"Liking the bed?" He asked in all causality.

"I don't know. It doesn't have all the moisture of dirt, but it will do."

He smiled, grabbing a chair to sit beside me. I sat up in my chair, still unsure of how to go about this whole situation. I was mad as hell at Henri right now but I couldn't let him catch on to that. I had to find a way to bring up the map discreetly.

"You know you should really get some more sleep." Henri commented looking at the bangs under my eyes.

"I could say the same thing to you. If I recall correctly you weren't in the greatest shape getting here either." I retorted.

Henri simply shook his head.

"Don't worry about me. I'm just fine."

"Funny I always feed you that exact same line, yet I can never seem get away with it. However I'm supposed to accept it from you without a second thought."

"It's different. I'm your protector, not the other way around." He stated. "Now sleep. We're going to start heading back to the house once you're bodily able."

"What about the map?" I inquired.

Silence filled the room, and I knew I had caught him off guard. Point number four.

"Like I said, we have to get proper supplies and plan before we go after the map. Once we've gotten the things we need, we'll go after it."

"Liar."

I hadn't meant to say the word aloud, but the anger I was feeling at the moment had now boiled to the surface. How dare he sit there and lie to my face. I thought after all these years together he would have more respect for me then that. I guess once again I had set my expectations too high.

"Pardon me?" Henri asked, his eyes growing slightly wider.

"Shut up. I can't believe you."

"What the hell are you going on about John?" Henri questioned, his voice growing impatient.

"I heard. I overheard your conversation with Malcom. I know the mogs have the map, and that you have no intention of helping me get it. And yet you can sit there and spout lies to me like it's nothing." I snarled, clenching my fists. "What were you going to do when we got to the house huh? Make up so long winded excuse of why we couldn't go back? Or maybe you would feel creative and lock me in my room until I had forgotten the whole thing. You're a bastard I can't believe I actually trusted you, I-"

Suddenly I was cut off by the distinct sound of skin hitting skin. It took me several moments to realize that my right cheek was stinging, and my hand rose to cuff it.

Henri had slapped me. The bastard had actually slapped me.

"Don't ever talk to me like that again." Henri voice practically rattled the room. "Trust me? I've looked after you all your life and you think you can call me a bastard just because I lied to you so you wouldn't chase after some fantasy?"

Anger coursed through me veins.

"Fantasy!?" I shouted. "You don't know-"

"No." Henri growled in a low voice.

Abruptly, Henri's hand jumped out, catching me completely off guard. My injured arm felt a strong grip on its wrist before being pulled out in front of me. I let out a gasp of pain, but before I could recoil, Henri spoke again.

"When the hell are you going to get it through your thick skull that everything I do it to protect you!" His grip intensified. "I lie, I make up stories, I fake emotions, but only to keep you safe. To make sure things like this-" He said, rocking my injured arm in front of my eyes. "-don't happen. And if I have to lie once in a while to make sure that happens, then fine, I'll lie as much as the situation calls for." He spat.

"Going after that map could very well kill you, and I'm not letting that happen. So even if that means hauling your ass back to the house by a rope I'll do it. Don't like it? Fine. I don't wake up every morning to please you. I do it to keep you breathing. I'm your guardian, I'm your protector, this is how I do things, deal with it." He finished throwing my arm back down.

Rage still seeped into my blood, as I stared at the man, walking over to the spare blankets that had been placed earlier in the corner of the room. There was so much I wanted to yell at him for, so much I wanted to scream. Instead I let all my hatred come through a single line.

"I never asked you to be my guardian."

There was a pause, and then Henri turned around, a few blankets piled in his arms.

"Yeah, and I never asked you to get hurt. But I guess we both are anyways huh?"

It stung a little. Those words. I hated how he always knew what to say. I hated it.

"Now I'm not going to say this again, put your head back on that pillow and sleep." He said throwing the extra blankets on top of me then adjusting them so they each covered my feet. I despised Henri at the moment, and him ordering me around and putting sickly warm comforters on me was not helping my mood. Still in an upright position, I griped my end of the blankets, and was about to throw them off, when Henri put a hand in the middle of my chest and pushed me down.

"Don't get up, don't be smart and try to throw the blankets off, and go to sleep." Henri said very slowly, making sure every command was loud and clear. I snarled, smacking away his hand from my chest.

"John, this petty attitude of yours is over. I'm not going to put up with it anymore. Go to sleep or I will force sleeping pills down your throat. Do you understand?"

In response I spit at his feet.

"Fine, act like an immature child. We'll talk more when you have cooled off, and a ready to speak without sounding like a complete brat." And with that Henri turned around, and headed for the door. Turning off the lights, he took one last look at me before closing the door.

I heard a faint 'clink' and I knew I was locked in.

So I sat alone fuming in the darkness, wishing for the first time that it would stay that way.

I hate him.

I hate him.

~Protective ~ Protective ~ Protective ~ Protective ~ Protective ~ Protective ~ Protective ~ Protective ~

As my anger slowly burned out, I became to form plans in head. Plans to get out of this stupid house, and get my hands on that map. Plans to get as far away from Henri as I possibly could.

First I had to figure out how to get the key so I could access the map. Of course Henri had that tucked away somewhere I'd probably never look. Which is exactly why I knew where to look. Then I'd have to get out without Henri or Malcom seeing me.

But to do any of that, I first had to get out of this room.

The handle was to the door would be easy enough to crack open. It was a small knob, with a miniature hole in its center. All I needed was a thin object like a toothpick and I could pick it no problem. But the door wasn't the issue, it's what lay beyond it.

Currently I had no idea where Henri was in the house. If I opened the door and he was waiting in the hall, I would be screwed. And if Malcom happened to be upstairs, he would call my name and blow my cover. So the question was what to do about it...

Then my head looked over to the window, and a grin formed on my face.

Jackpot.

At the moment, I knew exactly what to do. I just prayed it wouldn't blow up in my face.

Because if it did, Henri was going to kill me.

And as much as I hated to admit it, his wrath scared me a hell of a lot more then the mogs.

And that's just another reason why I really hated him right now.

Taking a deep breath, I began to execute the plan. Making as much noise as I possibly could I opened the window and climbed out, hanging on to the ledge. I then I hosted myself into a standing position on the slim border frame of the window, and climb onto the roof, again making as much noise as possible. Then sitting down on the rough tiles, I waited. It wouldn't be long now.

Sure enough I heard loud footsteps running towards the room I was in.

"John!" And there was Henri's voice.

"John!" I could see Henri poked his head out the window from below, and look around frantically. His head twisted left and right, then down, and then to the forest ahead.

"Tha- That moron! When I drag his ass back here, I'm going to kill him!" Henri fumed, pulling his head back inside. Booming footsteps rattled the house, as he jolted down the steps.

Oh dear, predictable Henri. Revenge was so sweet.

I slowly let myself back down on the window ledge and back inside the empty room, just as Henri and Malcom burst out the front door, headed towards the forest.

Perfect.

By the time those two got back to the house, I would be long gone.

Now all I needed was the key.

And I knew exactly where to look for that.

**BluePhantom15:** Oh dear, Henri and John are fighting again. I think this is the most mad they've ever been. *Sigh* Those two really need to sort out their issues. And John once again doing something stupid... Oh well XD, I guess that's what gives this story a plot huh?

Please review! You're comments are very much appreciated.


	9. Chapter 9

**BluePhantom15:** It's Summer! I'm sooooo happy : D. Now I get to read and write more Fanfiction! : ). Anyways here's another chapter, I pulled from beyond the grave. Thank you as usually to those who reviewed and kept my spirits going! Enjoy, and sorry for the grammer/spelling mistakes.

**Disclaimer:** I own next to nothing. And no, I don't even own 'next'.

I creaked down the wooden staircase, and looked around. I realized that I had only briefly viewed the main floor once before, when Henri and Malcom were talking. The rest of the time I had been stuck in that old dusty room. But, despite that I knew what to look for. I had only glanced at it once before, but I was sure it was there.

When my feet finally graced the flat ground I looked ahead near what was most likely the kitchen. A medium sized rectangular table sat in the middle of hard wood floor surrounded by cupboards and a small fridge. But it wasn't the table I cared about; it was the object behind it.

A small grin touched my lips as I looked at the thing. Ironically it looked a lot like the one we had at our most recent house. There leaning against the white wall was a large burgundy coloured father clock with four smalls legs at its base. It read 12:47, about lunch time, and as if on cue my stomach grumbled. Deciding I could spare a few moments from my life or death mission, I walked over to the small fridge and grabbed the handle. Opening it, I didn't expect much, but to my surprise it was filled to the brim. Meats of all kind were on the bottom shelf, chicken, beef, lamb, ribs it was incredible.

Then just above that were all the fruits and veggies. There were apples, oranges, peaches, strawberries and pairs as well as broccoli, carrots, tomatoes and green onions. Above that were loafs of bread, bagels and some milk and plain yogurt. Man, either this guy liked to eat or he just liked grocery shopping. Then again he was in the middle of nowhere; I guess trips to the store were few and far between.

Grabbing an apple, and some milk I began to eat. Walking over to the father clock again, I began my search. I knew the key had to be hidden in it somewhere. Henri had the weirdest fetish with clocks, and if the key was anywhere this was the place to start looking. Scanning the exterior carefully I looked for the latch that would open the glass door to the inside of the clock. Sure enough I found it on the side, and unlocked it. Swinging the door open, I looked at the bottom of the clocks interior. To my dismay, nothing was there. I even check for a secret compartment at the bottom, trying to lift the wooden board, but to no avail.

Where was it? It had to be here, there was nowhere else he would hide it. Then a fear crept into my mind. Maybe Henri had kept the key on him. Perhaps he had still been carrying it all this time. No, I shook my head, calm down. Henri wasn't the type to hold on to anything. He constantly used to complain how he could never keep anything on him because pockets weren't reliable. Although I still don't get how clocks were 'reliable'.

No, he wouldn't hold on it. It had to be here.

But where?

I got up, finishing the rest of my apple and started looking around other areas of the house. Maybe there were other clocks around somewhere that I had simply missed before. Oddly I only could find one other watch, but it was an automatic one on Malcom's bedside table. Then I searched through the living room, looking under couches and between cushions. I felt slightly idiotic. Like a child looking for his lost stuffed teddy bear. I even found myself looking under carpets in cupboards. I was getting desperate. Time was ticking and I couldn't find anything. Not even a clue. It didn't even take Scooby Doo this long to inexplicably catch the bad guy and unmask him. And he was a dog. Wow... maybe Henri was right, I do watch too much T.V. Getting more frustrated by the minute, I began pacing back and forth.

Come on think, think!

I love how when you tell yourself to think over and over again, you end up wasting all your time thinking about how you should be thinking.

Somehow, I ended up back at the father clock, looking it up and down. There had to be something. I drew it towards me and look at its back. As I suspected, nothing.

For some reason just then I recalled something Henri had told me once before. We were talking about clocks and time, and how time never seemed to stand still for anyone.

"_The only way to stop time is to be time,"_ Henri had joked.

Be time...

What the heck did that mean?

How could you be time?

But then I guessed clocks represented time, so in a sense they were time...

So... Be the clock?

I shook my head. That was stupid. Still, I couldn't shake this feeling. I unlatched the father clock's glass door. Then trying not to look like a complete moron, I slowly nudged my head inside. I found myself coughing and drawing back into the open air. Goodness that place was dusty. Taking another deep breath, I stuck my head back into the clock. I looked around, not that there was much to look at. Then I remembered that the actual clock was at the top and looked up.

The biggest grin spread across my face. There it was tapped to the ceiling of the interior of the clock was a silver key. That clever little bastard. Grabbing it I withdrew my head, and cranked my neck from side to side. Rolling my shoulders back I let out a sigh of relief.

The cold touch of the metal soothed my burning swollen palms. My injuries were still not fully healed, and if I was being honest with myself, I still had a ways to go before getting rid of all the pain.

But I couldn't let such a trivial thing hold me back. I was so close to finding the others I could taste it. Maybe then I wouldn't feel like the only crazy alien in the world. But then again the world could do with a little more abnormal.

Well, in any case I needed get out if here and quick, it wouldn't be to long before Henri and Malcom returned. The sun was now setting, and twilight would soon engulf the forest. There was only so much time left before the trees would enhance the density of the forest, making it hard for anyone to get in or out. That would be a problem if I managed to run into Henri and Malcom. I needed to figure out a way to move in a direction that they would definitely not think of going. This would let me to leave without much hassle, and having to see that bratty face of Henri`s. Besides at this point it was evident that he would kill me as soon as he laid eyes on me. And I really didn't feel like dying right now. I felt like I was dying, but there was no need to take it any further.

I hopped down the front steps of the house, making sure to look both ways before crossing the street. After all you never know when a crazy car could pass by in the middle of an abandoned forest for no reason. Luckily there was no sign of Mr. Overprotective and his side kick.

Smiling, I ran out into the forest, making sure to start heading in the direction of the crash site. It was the best way to start looking for the mogs, and that box. Only problem was that Henri might check there to, and I really didn't want to run into him there.

To be honest, even as I started heading in the direction I _thought _lead me to the crash site, I was still completely lost. All the trees looked the same. All the rocks looked the same. All the dirt looked the same- and well, you get the idea. I tried to think carefully, but my brain wasn't co-operating with my body. I'd think left and my body would stumble backwards. I mean, of all the times to have a bodily breakdown it had to be when I was in the most danger of all. Because compared to Henri, mogs we cute little house trained puppies.

I was completely lost. So I decided to come up with an ingenius plan that could never fail. I decided to close my eyes spin around, and start walking straight in the direction I stopped in.

Like I said, ingenius.

So I started to walk, well more like jog. It was getting darker and I needed to move. I didn't expect to find the crash site tonight anyways. In fact my mind right now was more preoccupied with where I was going to sleep. I was now regretting not hijacking one of Malcom's sleeping bags and a few pillows. I found myself yawning louder then I would have liked, forcing myself to keep one foot in front of the other. Even the rocks looked comfortable at this point.

I shook my head.

This was bad.

I was tiring out way faster than I expected to. I suppose it was because of all my wounds, but still. You'd think an alien with supernatural powers would have a little more endurance. I was only at most a mile away from Malcom's house.

Seriously, how large was this stupid forest? When my feet couldn't take it anymore, I sat down near a thick trunked tree and leaned against the bark. It wasn't exactly pleasant, considering all the jagged wood, but it would due for now. I took in a large amount of air, and then blew it back out. A shiver ran down my spine, making me realise how cold it really was out here. The sun was long gone by now and a cold breeze blew past me making the whole situation worse. I even managed to sneeze and cough at the same time, and if you've ever done that you know it feels like you just ate a dust bunny while spitting water out of your nose. In other words, it feels like crap. I brought my legs to me chest and hugged them tightly trying to sustain whatever body heat I had left. Looking up I noticed that it was a cloudless night. Only the waning moon and some stars sat in the navy sky. At least it wasn't pitch black, although the trees did seem to block out most of the moonlight. I decided to get comfortable, as I was most likely just going to sleep here for the night. I told myself it was a decent place to rest, but that was more just me making an excuse not to get up and go look for someplace that actually was decent. I rocked back and forth trying to get some particles moving as an attempt to create heat.

It wasn't very effective.

I closed my eyes.

Then opened them.

Then closed them again.

My eyelids were practically on a blinking marathon. This was ridiculous. There was no way I was going to get to sleep out here. I shifted to one side and stupidly, found myself falling to the ground. Just as I laid my hands flat against the soil to push myself up, I froze. It was ever so subtle, but I could feel the ground vibrating beneath my fingertips. And there was only one thing big enough to make the ground shake like that. Mogs.

My heartbeat sped up a thousand beats, as I tried to keep my breathing as quiet as alienly possible. I crawled over to the nearest bush, and ducked behind it. If the spotted me now I was done for. But I couldn't stop myself form taking a peek over the bushes leaves. As I suspected, two giant ugly mogs were in sight about 5 meters away, walking side by side. It was too dark to get a clear image of their faces –thank God- but I did manage to make out the fact that one of them was carrying something. For a moment my heart stopped.

It couldn't be, could it? I mean my luck was never that good. Still. I had to find out.

Moving as carefully as I could, I crawled across the forest floor back to the thick trunked tree. Still not close enough, I crawled to the next one ahead of it. I was about three meters away from them now, still practically holding my breath. These things could smell fear, and I was practically sweating of it. I peeked around the trunk, grasping it for dear life.

Squinting my eyes, I tried to focus as hard as I could. I could make out that it was a rectangular shape. My hopes soared, but I forced them down again. It could still be anything. In a spur of insanity, I jumped forward, just barley managing to land behind the next tree. Leaving me only a meter away from the mogs. Unfortunately, my landing didn't go unnoticed. One of the mogs head spun around looking directly at the tree I was hiding behind.

"_Whose there!"_ It hissed, taking a step towards me.

Sweat dripped down my brow, as I tried to make myself as small as possible. My hands clasped into fists as they lay against my legs. My back was to the trunk, and I shrugged my shoulders inwards to minimize my surface area. I heard the mog take another step forward. I bit my lip, trying to keep in a small cry for help. My knees felt weak, and I wanted to collapse where I stood.

Another step.

My heart raced.

A single gruesome hand reached out in front of me, then grasped the trunk wood just above my head. I couldn't breathe. My chest felt like it was going to cave in. Just as the hand began to move downward, another voice called out in the dark.

"_Leave it. We need to deliver this first or they'll have our heads._" The other mog hissed.

Suddenly, the mogs hand detached itself from the bark, and retreated. I heard footsteps leading away. I let out a breath. I couldn't believe what had just happened. A mog had saved me from another mog.

Brilliant.

The ground underneath my feet vibrated again, as the two beasts continued walking. Quickly twisting myself around, I looked behind the tree trunk. And I saw it.

It was the box.

_The_ box.

That means the map was practically two meters away from me now. I wanted to jump for joy, but my seconds ago traumatizing experience left me a little bit shaken. I couldn't stop staring at it. My goal was so close now, all I needed to do was reach out and take it.

Without thinking, I took a step forward. Only to be thrown back.

A hand covered around my mouth, rendering me speechless, as another arm wrapped around my waist and dragged me back into the bushes. I struggled, trying to kick and throw my fists around, but it seemed to not even faze my attacker. I grabbed unto the hand covering my mouth and attempted to pull it away, but my strength seemed to fail me once again. Finally we stopped moving, and I was thrown to the ground. Landing on my back, I found myself being pinned to the ground.

"What the hell!? Get off of me-" I was cut short as the hand engulfed my mouth once more.

"Shut the hell up or I will punch all the teeth from your mouth." A voice growled quietly.

A voice that scared me out of my wits. I was dead.

"Henri?"

"Yeah you little fart. Do you have any idea how long I've been looking for your ass." He whispered angrily. Suddenly, he yanked me up by my hair, forcing me into a sitting position. My hands shot to my head, rubbing the spot where he had pulled. Dang it that hurt.

"How the heck did you find me?"

"I'm not stupid John, but apparently you are. I knew you'd follow the mogs to get at that box, and as usual I was right!" Henri hissed. It was actually kind of amusing hearing Henri whisper-yell. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you're in?"

"No T.V for a week?" I tried. Henri was not amused.

"No, but I'll probably throw the T.V at you. You are the most impulsive, idiotic, inconsiderate blockhead on this planet! If you ever try to pull something like that again, I will buy you a leash and only let you outside for small walks in the park and when you have to pee."

Okay, that was a little scary to imagine.

"But-"

"Shut up. I don't want to hear you talk right now." Henri spat, taking a deep breath. Suddenly, he grabbed my arm inspecting it. Then he took one leg then the other, looking them up and down. Finally he went to grab my head, but I backed away out of reach.

"What are you doing?" I protested.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm seeing if you reopened any of your wounds. Now come over here right now."

"I'm fine." I said.

"_Now_, John." He said his tone was low and dangerous.

Not wanting to anger him further, I scooted back towards him slowly. He instantly grabbed my face, feeling around the stitches on the back of my skull, and then pulled away.

"At least you managed not to bleed out and die." He muttered to himself.

"Hey I- "

"I thought I told you to shut up." Henri growled. I shut up.

Taking a good look at Henri's face now, I realized how tired he looked. There were large black bags under his eyes and his hair was a mess. It was obvious by his clenched jaw that he was seriously pissed at me right now. But there was something else in his eyes too. I didn't know for certain but it looked like... relief?

Henri's hand slowly began to move towards mine and abruptly, he grabbed my wrist. His hand tightened, as if it never wanted to let go again.

"Don't leave without me again." Henri whispered.

I didn't know what to say. At that moment all the rebellion in me slipped away. Maybe it was pure exhaustion, maybe it was the look in Henri's eye, but I couldn't argue anymore.

"Alright." I said simply. Suddenly I remembered something "Where's Malcom?"

"Getting prepared." Henri answered.

What the heck kind of vague explanation was that? Getting prepared for what?

Then it hit me.

"The map..." The words came out before I could stop them.

"Don't get me wrong." Henri stated firmly. "You are still in for a world of hurt, and I will kill you when we get back."

I couldn't believe it. My eyes brightened as a smile spread across my face.

"You mean, I get to go after the map?" I exclaimed.

"No." Henri deadpanned. "Not a chance. You're not going anywhere but the furthest place from the mogs there is. I will not let you get near them."

"But then who's going to get the map?" I questioned.

Henri remained silent for a moment, before looking me straight in the eyes.

"I will. Alone."

My eyes widened.

"And you will not follow me."

"Henri that's ridiculous I –"

"Shut up." He said.

But at the moment I felt like I wanted to shut down. Then I heard a rustling of leaves. Something was coming our way. I ducked to the ground, trying not to make any sudden movements when something laid a hand on my shoulder from behind.

I whirled around, only to meet eyes with Malcom.

"Somebody call for backup?"

**BluePhantom15:** So the gangs back together again, and finally their going to go after the map! Took them long enough. Hopefully they'll actually succeed at something this time and hopefully Henri and John won't fight like a married old couple throughout the entire mission. Although, let's be honest, that's the fun part. : )

As always reviews are great! So please leave a small quick one below. And Happy Summer everyone! Spend it well and wisely. Ice cream around for all : D!


	10. Chapter 10

**BluePhantom15:** Back! Enjoying summer, as I hope you all are, you wonderful readers/reviewers you. Here is finally the long awaited next installment. I know it's a lot sorter then the other chapters, but I hope you will enjoy it nevertheless. Besides, this chapter is more of a set up for the real action, mwahaha! : )

As always sorry for grammar/spelling errors. Too lazy to edit. Henri often chews me out for it, claiming that how can a writer write such an awesome character such as him, without checking to see if they spelt his name right. My reply was I had my mog minion throw him out a window. It was fun to watch. Even better with popcorn. John thought it was funny to.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. Nothing at all. (Goes to cry.)

You know what, screw it all. The world sucked, my life sucked, the mogs sucked, Henri sucked, everything just –well- sucked for lack of a better vocabulary.

I was tired, in pain and worst of all plain out frustrated. Why did things always end up like this? With Henri the hero, and me his cute sidekick that never does anything but get in the way. I felt useless, and worst of all I felt like a doing nothing about it. I wanted to just forget about the events of the last few days. I was just starting to regret it all.

The fights with Henri, the running away.

What had it all really amounted to in the end? Sure I had found out about the map. Sure it could maybe probably help me find the other. And sure maybe if we hadn't found out about it sooner all of us would be dead. But right now none of that really mattered to me. All that mattered was I was bluntly being betrayed by the one person who I actually thought would never turn his back on me.

"You're an asshole you know that?" I stated abruptly, staring daggers at Henri. "I can't believe that after all the shit you and I have been through, that you still expect me to stay behind and do nothing."

I realised Malcom was staring between the two of us, but I really couldn't care less about onlookers at this point.

"I've seen what can happen when you do decide to come along, and that is exactly why you're staying behind this time." Henri said outright, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

I couldn't help it. I simply rolled my eyes.

"You're kidding my right? You honestly think I'll actually stay put?" I remarked.

Henri said nothing for a moment, as if thinking about my comment.

"No..." He said finally looking at the floor, eyes unreadable. Then he seemed to take a deep breath, and suddenly all the anger in his eyes that had been there minutes ago, vanished without a trace.

My eyes widened slightly in surprise. Did this mean he wasn't angry? Or did this mean he was so furious you couldn't even notice the rage anymore? You could never tell with Henry.

"Ummm... I hate to break up the awkward conversation, but you guys know the mogs are getting away right?" Malcom spoke for the first time since he had joined us.

Henri's head shot up as if aware for the first time.

"Right." Henri stated. "No time for disputes. Let's hurry up and trail them, see where their taking the map." He started to move forward, Malcom not far behind. I just stood and watched.

Then Henri stopped and turned to face me.

"Aren't you coming?" He called gesturing with a hand to follow.

I stared at him questionably.

"I thought you didn't want me to come." I said.

"Well as you painfully made it clear earlier, I can't expect you to stay behind. I might as well keep you at a close range if you're going to follow anyways."

I was shocked that he had actually listened to me for once. I'm not exactly sure why, but my heart swelled with... was it content, happiness? Even joy maybe? Then a small smirked crept upon my face. I didn't question Henri's decision further; instead I jogged up to Henri side, and continued forward.

Finally, I was going to be able to do something! Realizing what this meant, like a bipolar person my mood instantly changed from a brooding teen to a giddy little child.

"So what's the plan?" I practically chirped at Malcom.

"Well we were hoping to find their base, and then map out the area. Then depending on the layout of their hive we were planning to create a diversion with the whistle you saw me use earlier. It won't hold them off forever but it should give us a head start to wherever their planning to hide it." Malcom stated.

"Wait wouldn't it be easier to just ambush the two mogs carrying the map right now, before their able to reach their base?" I questioned, confused.

"True, but even if we did that the other mogs would notice their companions never returned the delivery and we would have an army on our asses in no time." Henri jumped in. "Besides, I want to know where there all coming from. This is a perfect opportunity to blow up their headquarters by surprise."

"Wait a minute, blow up? And just how the heck are you going to manage that, huh?" I exclaimed, crossing my arms over my chest. I winced slight at the pain my previously injured arm caused me, but it was getting better.

"That's where I come in." Malcom voiced. "I've been preparing for this for a while. I have special equipment back home that will be effective against the mogs.

"You mean like that weird whistle thing of yours?"

"Exactly." He answered.

"How does that thing even work?"

He paused a moment.

"Well I discovered by accident really, that mogs much like dogs hear things at a different frequency then we do. I was experimenting, and eventually I found the right frequency that worked on them. Ironically it's basically just like a dog whistle just ten times stronger."

"Nice." Mog, dog. I knew there had to be a resemblance.

"That still doesn't explain how you plan to blow them up." I persisted.

"A detonator." Henri deadpanned.

"Excuse me?" My eyes went wide. "Are you telling me you had some giant bomb tucked away this entire time?"

"Maybe." Henri said indifferently, but there was a ghost of a smirk that lingered on his face.

"So what, you just plan to waltz in their plant a bomb, run out and watch the fireworks?" I gaped.

"Pretty much."

"You're insane."

Henri let out a chuckle, a smile spreading across his face as we walked.

"Maybe just a little." He admitted.

At that moment I felt at ease, almost happy. I realised it was because it was the first time Henri had smiled and laughed since we had fought. I won't admit it, but I like Henri a lot more when he's smiling.

"Wait why didn't you guys bring the equipment?" I asked suddenly, realising we were unarmed.

"Because we had to search for _you _remember?" Henri spat. "Besides, like Malcom stated earlier the only point of the current mission is Intel. We simply need a layout of their base first. Once we have acquired that we can use the equipment accordingly. We need a more detailed plan then just setting up the detonator and grabbing the map. Raiding a mog base is a lot more complicated than that."

I groaned.

I knew he was right, I was just sick of waiting. My every lasting patience was growing thin.

Then it dawned on me. Was that the reason he let me come so easily, without putting up a fight? Because he _knew_ that we were just gathering Intel and weren't actually going to _do _anything? And because he _knew_ that in order to do anything we would have to go back to Malcom's house and get the equipment. Back to the house where he would probably leave me again before the real battle even started.

Oh, clever little Henri.

It took all I had not to growl at him.

"What's wrong with you now?" Henri sighed, looking in my direction. He had obviously noticed the scowl on my face.

"I just thought you were actually going to let me help. I guess I was just being naive." I hissed.

"What are you talking about?" Henri said, slightly exasperated.

"You were never going to let me fight in the first place, were you? You let me come along this time because it was only to gather information and there would be no real action."

Henri sighed.

I glared at him, just waiting for him to confirm my suspicions.

"No," He replied calmly, "I did it so you would know what you're up against when we do finally break into their base."

I gaped. Did he just seriously say what I think he said? Was he implying that he was actually going to let me-

"You're coming with us." He finished my thought.

"R-really?" I stuttered.

Henri smirked, "Really. I figured it would be impossible to lock you up, and I suppose if you're going to save this planet from the mogs, you should get hands on experience with fighting them. Might as well put your skills to use. Besides, you want this more than any of us, and I realize that now. There's no point in denying you the right to fulfil your goals. It's important to have them, after all."

I Burst out into a wide grinned, me feet jumping slightly in delight. He was finally starting to understand me.

Henri noticed my skyrocket in joy, and immediately pointed a figure at me.

"N-now don't get me wrong. There will be a specific plan, that you will follow to a 'T', and not go off and do something stupid. If you pull anything other then what I tell you exactly, I will make it my personal duty to haul you out of there and throw your butt behind bars you got that?" He huffed, continuing to walk a pace in front of me.

Then I did something that not only surprised Henri, but surprised myself as well. I jumped forward and hugged him from behind.

My arms enclosed around my unsuspecting protector, and clung to him.

"Thank you." I whispered into his back. Although I couldn't see his face from this angle, I could tell Henri was blushing.

"Y-yeah, well whatever it's no big deal. N-now get off of me." He moved away, but it was a half hearted struggle.

I let go, blushing a bit myself at this point. "Uh... Sorry."

Noticing my sudden uncomfortable embarrassment, Henri stooped and turned to me.

"It's fine." He started looking at the ground. Most likely to try and hide the slight pink still in his cheeks.

"You don't have to be embarrassed. Hugging me if you want is well...it's okay. Y-you can if you want to. I mean, that is you don't have to, b-but if you want to that's fine too." Henri stumbled over his words, but I understood the message.

"Thanks." I said simply. He nodded then looked away and began walking again.

That's when I finally noticed how behind we were. With all the talking we had done, we had fallen far behind Malcom, who was up ahead still trailing the two mogs.

Malcom suddenly turned around, and gestured to us to come quickly. It looked as if we had finally discovered our target.

Henri and I sped up, jogging silently to where Malcom had ducked behind some large bushes. We followed suit, and lowered ourselves to the ground.

We had finally found it- their base. Where all the crap they had thrown at us till now had come from. And let me tell you, now I knew what it felt like to be a protagonist of a fictional book series looking at the villains gigantic Goth painted fortress. Because I was staring at one right now.

It was huge, and looked like a hybrid between a castle and a baseball dome. Like in one of those clichéd stories, it had two lookout towers on either end with long black pointed tops that looked like they were dying to kill a bird.

The place was completely made out of fortified steal that was an abnormal shade of black and gray. It had something that looked vaguely like the Great Wall of China surrounding it with a giant wooden door as its entrance. Perfect, because what kind of villainous castle is complete without a drawbridge right?

Now there was only one question.

"How the hell are we supposed to break in there?" I asked dumbfounded.

Henri was at a loss for words, clearly overwhelmed.

"I have no idea" He said, lowering his head into his open palms.

"I might."

Henri and I turned.

Malcom looked over at us.

"How?" I inquired.

Malcom smirked.

"First we have to split up. This place it pretty big, we'll need to cover more ground."

**BluePhantom15:** He he he, spilt up? I don't think Henri's gonna like that idea, although John might. Yeah, time for some spying! Wonder how that will go? When it comes to John, usually not smoothly. Please review! You guys are awesome and I love your feedback and thoughts. Popsicles and snow cones all around! : D


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